Dr. Knauer's primary research interests are in evaluating parent education programs that target vulnerable families with young children. Dr. Knauer examines programs to understand how, why, and for who parenting programs for vulnerable populations are effective, and the contextual factors that affect parenting and early childhood development in underserved groups.Dr. Knauer has experience evaluating early childhood programs in Mexico, Kenya, and Armenia that seek to improve children's cognitive development through a variety of mechanisms, such as nutrition and parent engagement.