Martín Valdivia has a PhD in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota. He has worked as a Senior Researcher at GRADE since 1993. He also performs as Regional Director of the Economic Policy and Poverty Research Network (PEP) for Latin America.

He is an active member of various research networks such as the Global Development Network (GDN), the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA), the Poverty and Inequality Network (NIP), Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), among others. His fields of interest include health, poverty and social policy, the economics of microfinance and entrepreneurship. He has carried out research projects and consultancies for international organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Labor Organization and USAID.

His current research interests focus on the use of RCTs to understand the socio-economic behavior of individuals and search for policy options that can help reduce poverty and increase welfare of the vulnerable populations.