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ABOUT ME

Research

I'm an environmental and natural resource (ENR) economist with two main research interests:

  1. eliciting people's willingness to pay for nonmarket goods using valuation methods (e.g., stated and revealed preference surveys),

  2. informing the management of natural resources over time using dynamic bioeconomic models.

 

I'm particularly interested in integrating the methods to improve combined models of human and natural systems. As a postdoc, I'm using the approach to analyze how the interplay between "personal use" and commercial sockeye salmon fisheries affects the social welfare of Alaskan residents. As a graduate student, I analyzed the optimal management of Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bears, a charismatic species that are currently federally protected.

I've worked on many other ENR applications:

  • the damage from the loss of an individual animal in national parks, 

  • people's willingness to pay to conserve wide-ranging wildlife,

  • people's perceptions of the risks from ticks, and how those perceptions lead to self-protection actions against tick exposure and Lyme disease,

  • people's willingness to pay for "ugly" agricultural produce,

  • the feasibility of rare earth extraction from coal ash.

My natural resource interests stem from an interdisciplinary background: I've received a BS in biology, a BS in economics, an MS in economics, environment and natural resources, and a PhD in economics.

On the side, I've also done some behavioral economics research:

  • couple's preferences for spending each other's money,

  • vaccine hesitancy among parents in rural settings.

Teaching

I'm passionate about teaching in a way that encourages "deep learning" (Google Ken Bain if you're interested), and I try to incorporate the latest technology in the classroom. I've taught an in-person, topic-based, principles of microeconomics course with over 120 students. I've also designed and taught a couple of online courses, including an introductory economics course for non-economics majors interested in environmental and natural resource applications.

Hobbies

My favorite activities include soccer, cycling, and cross country skiing. I like traveling and exploring new places, especially national parks - I'm hoping to get the chance to visit Katmai soon.

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