He graduated from North Carolina State University in 2002 as class Valedictorian and summa cum laude with bachelor of science degrees in Textile Chemistry and Chemistry. He then earned his doctorate of philosophy in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, mentored by Professor Matt Francis. After hearing a neuroimaging presentation in 2006 by National Medal of Science recipient Joanna Fowler, Hooker immersed himself in postdoctoral training under her mentorship at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.