James Harper, PhD, PE

As a civil engineering researcher, I work to achieve impactful outcomes in international development using evidence-based research. My research focuses on how poor rural households make decisions about their basic needs, and evaluating how impactful international development programs have been in relation to their goals. I've worked primarily on infrastructure development projects in sanitation, water, housing, electricity, nutrition, and menstrual health in rural India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Ghana.

As a professor of engineering design, I work to enable the next generation of engineers to design products and services using a holistic and human-centered perspective, focusing on the goal of improving people's lives. Designing with the end user in mind and striving to delight them makes design more successful and produces more positive impacts.

Outside of work, I volunteer as a firefighter in the mountains above Boulder and enjoy cooking, hiking, and travelling with my wife and two sons.

More Details:
- Educator with 11 years teaching experience at the graduate, undergraduate and high-school levels in engineering design, international development, and computer programming; and at the high-school level in math, physics, chemistry, English, Spanish, writing, and music
- Expert in rural water and sanitation systems in low-resource contexts, particularly in Southeast Asia, including all stages of conceptualization, design, construction, testing, monitoring, evaluation, systems interactions, and research
- Engineer with 14 years engineering design and project management experience in civil, mechanical and energy projects, particularly in rural low-resource contexts
- Researcher with 9 years experience in basic human needs, including sanitation, water, nutrition, and menstrual health, using quantitative and qualitative methods, and expert in study design; survey and interview guide development; data analysis; reporting; and presenting
- PhD & MS in Civil Systems Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder with specializations in global engineering, rural sanitation, decision-making, willingness to pay, and systems thinking
- MS & BS in Mechanical Engineering (summa cum laude) from the University of California, San Diego with specializations in computer-aided design and analysis, and distributed renewable power production
- Expert in science communication, knowledge transfer and outreach
- Expert editor of content and English in scientific writing with 10 years experience and specialties in engineering and critical care medicine
- Advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in design, and open-access publishing
- Lifelong learner, educator of young minds with a focus on solving the world's toughest challenges, and advocate for a sustainable future for humanity