College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

Beginning in 2019, Ph.D. students must produce a research paper and present it at the Graduate Research Symposium prior to completion of their third year in the program. The paper must demonstrate original research based on a sound synthesis and critical assessment of the state of the literature in the student’s area of interest. It is expected that, after reasonable revisions, the paper will be published in a professional journal. It is also encouraged (though not required) that the paper be used subsequently as a dissertation chapter. Together, the written paper and symposium presentation constitute the student’s comprehensive exam.

Below is a list of authors and titles of research papers presented at Graduate Research Symposiums to date. Please contact the student authors if you are interested in obtaining a copy. Due to storage space constraints, the Department does not house copies of these papers.

2023

Beroud, Mohammed Global Biotechnology Spillover and Agricultural Total Factor Productivity Growth: Evidence from Nonstationary Panels. Major Professor: Titus Awokuse

Dong, Zekuan Urbanization and Agricultural Industrialization at the Micro-Scale. Major Professor: Melissa McKendree

Hopkins, Alexander Testing Recent European Carbon Futures Markets for Weak-Form Efficiency. Major Professor: Satish Joshi

Lee, Seowoo Comparing Profitability of Prescription Method for Variable Rate Nitrogen Fertilization with On-Farm Trials. Major Professor: Scott Swinton

Loduca, Natalie Farmers’ Risk Preferences in General versus Contextual Lottery Experiments. Major Professor: Scott Swinton

Martinez, Jose Does Your Food's Food Matter? Adoption and Impact of Improved Grasses in Colombian Cattle Ranching. Major Professor: Mywish Maredia

Oh, Saera Global Agri-food Value Chains and Intellectual Property Rights in International Trade. Major Professor: Titus Awokuse

Rahman, Rubait Foodborne Disease Outbreaks in Flour and Flour-Based Food Products from Microbial Pathogens in the US, and Their Economic Burden. Major Professor: Felicia Wu

Sarkar, Sampriti Modeling Midwestern Corn Yield Response to Phosphorus Fertilizer in Michigan. Major Professor: Frank Lupi

Sun, Jiayu Using Machine-Learning Methods in Meta-Analyses: An Empirical Application on Consumer Acceptance of Meat Alternatives. Major Professor: David Ortega & Vincezina Caputo (co-advisors)

Win, Myat Thida Farmer demand for certified legume seeds and the viability of farmer seed enterprises: Evidence from Myanmar. Major Professor: Mywish Maredia

2022

Ahmad, Sibbir Input Subsidies and Crop Diversity on Family Farms in Burkina Faso. Major Professor: Veronique Theriault.

Alvayay-Torrejon, Camila Impact of Demolitions on Neighboring Property Values: The Case of Detroit. Major Professor: Mark Skidmore.

Carlson, Hanna Food Demand in Times of Crisis: Mali in the 21st Century. Major Professor: Veronique Theriault.

Guedegbe, Tharcisse Endogenous Policy Responses to COVID-19, Resilience Factors, and the Impact of the Pandemic on Farm Performance. Major Professor: Adesoji Adelaja.

Herrington, Caitlin Rural Bangladeshi Consumers’ (Un)Willingness to Pay for Low-Milled Rice: Implications for Zinc Biofortification. Major Professors: Mywish Maredia and David Ortega. Best Symposium Presentation Award, 2022.

Keene, Thomas Open Payments and Opioid Overdoses: How Advertising for Opioid Agonists and Antagonists Affects Overdose Mortalities in the United States. Major Professor: Scott Loveridge.

Kim, Dahye Consumer Preferences and Demand for Conventional Seafood and Seafood Alternatives: Does the Processing Stage Matter? Major Professor Vincenzina Caputo.

Kim, Minsu The Dynamics of Subsidizing Electric Vehicle Consumption to Combat Climate Change. Major Professor Rick Horan.

Kwon, Daniela How Do Input Subsidy Programs Affect Smallholder Households’ Dietary Diversity? Evidence from Zambia. Major Professor: Robert Myers.

Lachhab, Rania Crop Choice Adaptation to Water Policy Shocks in Developing Economies. Major Professor: Matthew Gammans.

Lu, Pei-Jyun Avoidance Behavior During Tropical Cyclones: Case Study of Taiwan’s Typhoon Day-Off Policy. Major Professor: Mark Skidmore.

Seong, Joseph A Comprehensive Study of U.S. Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Indoor Agriculture-Produced Leafy Greens. Major Professor: Simone Valle de Souza.

Staples, Aaron The Paycheck Protection Program & Small Business Performance: Evidence from Craft Breweries. Major Professor: Trey Malone.

Vargas, Carolina Rural-Urban Development, Violence, and Access to Value Chains: An Analysis on Milk Farmer Decisions of Market Channel Choice and the Use of Feed Concentrate. Major Professors: Thomas Reardon and Saweda Liverpool-Tasie.

2021

Abaidoo, Eric Maternal Educational Attainment and Child Labor Outcomes: Evidence from Malawi. Major Professor: Ben Belton.

Chakraborty, Judhajit Extreme Cold and Local Inequality: Evidence from Peruvian Highlands. Major Professor: Eduardo Nakasone.

Fang, Ming Social Network and Consumption Smoothing in Rural India. Major Professor: Songqing Jin.

Gao, Yixuan The Impact of Biofuels on Corn Prices: COVID-19 as a Natural Experiment. Major Professor: Robert Myers.

Hopkins, Kelsey Resolving the Reality Gap in Farm Regulation Voting Models. Major Professor: Melissa McKendree.

Kilders, Valerie Is Animal Welfare Promoting Hornless Cattle? Assessing Consumer’s Valuation for Milk from Gene-Edited Cows Under Different Information Regimes. Major Professor: Vincenzina Caputo. Best Symposium Paper and Presentation Award, 2021

Singh, Sudhir The Effects of Political Leader's Identity in Public Work Programs: Evidence from NREGS in India. Major Professor: Songqing Jin.

2020

Ayesh, Abubakr Does Violence in Non-War Zones Impact Labor Market Outcomes? Major Professor: Eduardo Nakasone.

Dhar, Rahul Diet or Activity? An Examination of Adult Overweight and Obesity in Tanzania Using Panel Data. Major Professor: David Tschirley.

Huang, Zeying The Impacts of Heat and Air Pollution on Human Health. Major Professor: Mark Skidmore. Honorable Mention for the Best Symposium Paper and Presentation Award, 2020

Jia, Yanan Do Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) Regulations Reduce Food Animal Antibiotics Demand Efficiently? Major Professors: Hongli Feng and David Hennessy.

Kim, Hyunjung Estimating Recreation Demand with Incomplete Trip Information: Revealed Preference Approach. Major Professor: Frank Lupi.

Lu, Pin Crop Insurance Rate Making, Land Quality, and Adverse Selection. Major Professors: Hongli Feng and David Hennessy.

Melkani, Aakanksha Smallholder Maize Market Participation and Choice of Marketing Channel in the Presence of Liquidity Constraints: Evidence from Zambia. Major Professor: Nicole Mason-Wardell. Honorable Mention for the Best Symposium Paper and Presentation Award, 2020

Mukhopadhyay, Ramyani Time to Completion in Mergers and Acquisitions in the Food and Agri-Business Industry. Major Professor: Adesoji Adelaja.

Nuhu, Ahmed Salim Does the Expansion of Midstream Activities in Agrifood Value Chains Improve Smallholder Welfare? Evidence from Zambia. Major Professors: Titus Awokuse and David Tschirley.

Parkhi, Charuta The Role of Time Preferences in the Demand for Safer Food Products: Evidence from Nigeria. Major Professor: Saweda Liverpool-Tasie.

Ufer, Danielle The Economics of Information and Redundant Labels in the Milk Industry. Major Professor: David Ortega.

Ye, Ziwei Should Glyphosate be Taxed? Herbicide Substitution and Spill-over Effects in US Corn Production. Major Professors: Felicia Wu and David Hennessy. Best Symposium Paper and Presentation Award, 2020

2019

Athnos, April Underground Lemons: The Effect of Time of Sale Regulations on the Housing Market. Major Professor: Soren Anderson.

Che, Yuyuan Recent Events and Participation in U.S. Federal Crop Insurance Programs. Major Professors: Hongli Feng and David Hennessy.

Koima, Josephat Impact of School of Electrification on Academic Outcomes: Evidence from Rural Electrification in Kenya. Major Professor: Milu Muyanga.

Miyahara, Takashi Aging, Generational Structure and Economic Growth in Japan. Major Professor: Adesoji Adelaja.

Sauer, Christine Processed Food Penetration into Urban and Rural Tanzania: Insights on Nutrition and Convenience. Major Professors: Thomas Reardon and David Tschirley.

Van Deynze, Braeden Are Glyphosate-Resistant Weeds a Threat to Conservation Agriculture? Evidence from Tillage Practices in Soybean. Major Professor: Scott Swinton.

Watten, Asa Crop Options: The Effect of Insurance on Intraseasonal Abandonment. Major Professor: Soren Anderson.