Raquel Bernal

Raquel Bernal serves as both Rector and Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of the Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. She leads the institution while maintaining an active research agenda focused on labor economics, econometrics, and early childhood development. Her position as Rector places her at the highest level of academic administration while retaining her faculty appointment.

Dr. Bernal earned her Ph.D. in Economics from New York University (1998-2003), following completion of her M.A. and B.A. degrees at the University of the Andes. This educational foundation established her expertise in quantitative methods and economic analysis that underpins her research career.

Her research program centers on the determinants of early human capital accumulation, with particular focus on how public policies affect labor markets in developing economies. Bernal has conducted extensive impact evaluations of early childhood programs in Colombia, examining how interventions in childcare, nutrition, and parental time allocation influence children's cognitive and socioemotional development. Her work combines structural modeling of women's employment and childcare choices with large-scale experimental evaluations assessing over 30,000 children across Colombia.

Bernal's research portfolio demonstrates consistent focus on evidence-based policy with major projects funded by the Jacobs Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, Inter-American Development Bank, 3ie, and Grand Challenges Canada. Her methodological expertise spans experimental design, econometric analysis, and large-scale data collection in resource-constrained settings.

As an academic leader, Bernal has served as consultant for the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) and co-authored the influential Practical Guide for Impact Evaluation. Her work bridges academic research and policy implementation, with findings directly informing program improvements in Colombia's childcare infrastructure.

Bernal directs multiple longitudinal studies tracking children's development from early intervention through later life outcomes, including educational performance, health indicators, and socioemotional development. Her research teams coordinate field operations across multiple Colombian departments, working closely with government agencies and NGOs to implement and evaluate social programs.