Christopher E. Herbert has been appointed research director of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Herbert is a nationally recognized expert in the design, implementation and management of research related to housing policy, housing markets, housing finance and urban development. He previously conducted research at the Joint Center during the course of his doctoral program at the Harvard Kennedy School, according to a statement.

"We are thrilled that Chris has agreed to rejoin the Joint Center team," said Managing Director Eric S. Belsky. "With his unique background that has blended applied and scholarly research on a wide range of housing and urban issues, he is a natural fit to direct the center’s research programs."

Herbert was a senior associate at Abt Associates for 13 years, where he directed numerous studies for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. His work has recently focused on efforts to promote and maintain homeownership for low-income and minority families, and it has included evaluations of federal and state homeownership programs, detailed literature reviews and analysis of disparities in mortgage lending and residential foreclosure by income and race/ethnicity, according to a statement.