ATLAS OF ECONOMIC COMPLEXITY
Harvard Growth Lab's research and data visualization tool used to understand the economic dynamics and new growth opportunities for every country worldwide.
The Foundation
Trade Dynamics & Growth Opportunities
Interactive maps reveal global trade flows and untapped growth paths for countries, linking products to economic potential.
Project at a Glance
The Atlas of Economic Complexity, from Harvard’s Growth Lab, turns massive global trade data into interactive maps and rankings. It helps anyone, from policymakers to students, understand how countries climb from basic exports (like oil) to advanced ones (like electronics). This helps reveal paths for jobs and prosperity. Launched in 2013, it’s a prime example of economics using digital tools for real-world insights.
Timeline
Atlas Timeline
THE TEAM
Ricardo Hausmann – Leader & Author
Cambridge, MA
Ricardo Hausmann is the founder and Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab and the Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School. Under his leadership, the Growth Lab has grown into one of the most well-regarded and influential hubs for research on economic growth and development around the world.
Web Development & Data Visualization
Brendan Leonard – Senior Back-End & Data Developer
Cambridge, MA
Brendan leads the development of The Atlas data pipeline and API architecture. He works to create technical solutions for new Atlas features implementing research-driven concepts. He is also responsible for managing the cloud-based server and database infrastructure of The Atlas. He holds degrees in government studies and economics from Harvard University and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Ellie Jackson – Back-End & Data Developer
Cambridge, MA
Ellie builds, maintains and optimizes the back-end architecture and infrastructure of The Atlas. She also contributes to the acquisition and analysis of various Atlas datasets. Ellie has a master’s degree in computational analysis and public policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School.
Nil Tuzcu – Senior UX/UI & Data Visualization Designer
Cambridge, MA
Nil leads The Atlas design vision including the creation of new features, enhancements and the integration of new research. Before joining the Growth Lab, Nil worked as a research fellow at MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and as a research associate at Harvard Graduate School of Design. She holds a master’s degree from Cornell University and was a SPURS Fellow at MIT (2014-2015).
Robert Christie – Front-End Developer
Cambridge, MA
Robert is responsible for the front-end development of The Atlas. He architects and implements interactive interfaces and visualizations with an emphasis on cartography.
Tammy Zhang – Front-End Developer
Cambridge, MA
Tammy supports the front-end development and maintenance of The Atlas. Previously, she has collaborated with researchers in a variety of fields to communicate their work through interactive data visualization. Tammy holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in information science from Cornell University.
Product Team
Annie White – Director, Software Tools
Cambridge, MA
Annie oversees the strategy and creation of The Atlas, from research to design, development, and launch. Prior to her work at the Growth Lab, Annie was a Director of Digital Product at Sustainalytics, an ESG research and consulting firm. She is interested in the application of software tools to positively impact economic development, equity, and the public interest.
Chuck McKenny – Director, Communications & Outreach
Cambridge, MA
Chuck is the Associate Director of Communications & Outreach at Harvard’s Growth Lab. Chuck has more than 20 years experience in broadcast, digital and print communications and has worked for academic, media, corporate, and nonprofit organizations.
Research Team
Muhammed Yildirim – Research Director, Academic Research
Cambridge, MA
Muhammed is a physicist turned economist from Turkey. He worked on the theory behind The Atlas, determining optimal ways to calculate many of The Atlas variables. He co-developed The Atlas methodology, the data cleaning code and contributed in the preparation of The Atlas book.
Sebastian Bustos – Senior Research Fellow
Cambridge, MA
Sebastian is a Research Fellow at the Center for International Development at Harvard University and a Doctoral candidate in Public Policy at Harvard University. His research interests are the development of the private sector and how governments can solve market failures to accelerate the process.
Shreyas Gadgin Matha – Senior Computational Social Scientist
Cambridge, MA
Shreyas applies a computational lens to questions in economics. His research interests center around understanding complex socio-economic systems, from labor markets and innovation ecosystems to international trade, using non-traditional data sources such as satellite imagery, textual data, and networks
Tim Cheston – Senior Manager, Applied Research
Cambridge, MA
Tim is a Research Fellow at the Center for International Development at Harvard University. His research interests focus on the intersection of social policy and economic policy, including the use of growth diagnostics to unlock structural transformation processes.