He completed his PhD in Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles. His expertise lies in applied microeconomics and quantitative public policy evaluation. In the last three years his research agenda has focused on studying the impact of adverse childhood experiences, such as exposure to crime, violence, and forced displacement, and trauma on the development of cognitive, social, and emotional abilities. Dr. Harker focuses on the design and evaluation of interventions that help mitigate this impact. His recent research projects focused on the impact of urban violence on academic performance and psychotherapy to protect early childhood in the context of civil violence in Colombia.