She is the Robert Johnston Niven Professor of Humane Letters in Psychology at Columbia University.
Downey is head of The Samuel and Ronnie Heyman Center on Corporate Governance and is a member of the University of the People's arts and sciences advisory board.
Downey received her BS in psychology from University College Dublin, and her MA and PhD in developmental psychology[1] from Cornell University in 1986.
[2] Downey is the Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives and Robert Johnston Niven Professor of Humane Letters in Psychology at the Department of Psychology, Columbia University.
[4] She is a member of the University of the People's arts and sciences advisory board.