Faculty & Staff

Assistant Professor

Serkan Aglasan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. He received his M.S. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his Ph.D. in Economics from North Carolina State University. Dr. Aglasan's scholarly work broadly encompasses agricultural economics (production, policy), climate change, risk analysis and management, crop insurance, applied econometrics, and price analysis.

Associate Professor

Dr. Aradhyula maintains broad interests in agricultural economics and economics. Major fields include quantitative policy analysis, applied econometric and time series methods, production economics, and risk and uncertainty.

Assistant Professor of Practice

Dr. Athnos’ research examines how environmental policies affect markets, consumer preferences for environmental goods, and economics pedagogy. She enjoys working on interdisciplinary teams and collaborating with other instructors to build inclusive, impactful courses.  

Associate Professor, School of Government and Public Policy
Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Economics (courtesy)

Dr. Laura Bakkensen is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona’s School of Government and Public Policy. She utilizes applied microeconomic and econometric techniques to study the economics of natural disasters, identifying current hazard risks and evidence of adaptation to damages and fatalities across the globe. Her research informs policy on insurance regulation, post-disaster aid, severe weather warnings, and public adaptation projects. Dr. Bakkensen received her Ph.D. in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from Yale University.

Bartley P. Cardon Chair of Agribusiness Economics and Policy
Extension Specialist

Dr. Frisvold joined the faculty at The University of Arizona in 1997. He has been a visiting scholar at the National Institute of Rural Development in Hyderabad, India, a lecturer at The Johns Hopkins University, and Chief of the Resource and Environmental Policy Branch of USDA's Economic Research Service.

Associate Professor

Dr. Josephson's core research focuses on individuals and households in around the world, working on risk, development, food security, and agriculture. Much of this research is centered in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, as well as Asia, including Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines. In her work, Dr. Josephson explores the relationships between individuals and their risky environments and investigate how households and small firms make decisions to ensure survival under challenging conditions. Along with Dr.

Associate Professor

The primary focus of my research is the application of contract theory and models of industrial organization to problems of agricultural risk management and rural development. My existing research focuses on how agricultural households manage risk to achieve their goals of sustainable development and food security. Complementing and expanding upon this, my recent research investigates the use of contracts in agriculture and estimates the impact of new technology on household welfare and health outcomes.

Assistant Research Professor

Dr. Olurotimi is an applied economist whose research interests are in Development Economics. Broadly, her research quantifies the effect of shocks, stresses, public policy, and programs on welfare, human capital development, and firms in developing countries, especially those in Africa. She also studies how economic agents respond to shocks. Her goal with her research is to inform policy, programs, and praxis to improve the lives of people experiencing poverty.

Associate Professor
Associate Professor, Department of Economics (Courtesy)

Tauhidur Rahman is a development economist. He is the Founding Director of The Initiative for Agency and Development (IfAD). He is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Department of Economics (Courtesy) at the University of Arizona.

Associate Professor, School of Natural Resources & the Environment
Associate Professor, Agricultural & Resource Economics (courtesy)

Dr. Soto’s research centers on the modeling of coupled natural-human systems at different spatial and temporal scales—for both fundamental insight and practical real-world applications. His current focus involves the use of non-market valuation and survey-based methodologies to examine ecosystem services, which are embedded in complex, social-ecological systems. He collaborates with natural scientists, along with local, state, and federal land managers to investigate issues related to wildlife, climate change, forest water yield, carbon sequestration, and invasive species. 

Bart Cardon Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Career Development
Professor

I’ve designed projects on a wide range of policy-oriented issues involving the economics of consumer credit markets. Topics have included the causes and consequences of personal bankruptcy and mortgage foreclosures; the role of credit bureau data, credit scoring and risk management tools in expanding access to consumer loans in the U.S. and globally; and the pros and cons of improved loan disclosures and regulatory limits on loan products in helping consumers to make good credit choices.

Associate Director for Tribal Extension Programs
Extension Specialist
Senior Associate Director, Programs

Mr. Teegerstrom joined the Department faculty in 1997. His main areas of concentration are production economics and risk management education. In Arizona, much of his work is focused on the continued development of the Arizona Vegetable Budgets, the Arizona Field Crop Budgets, the Cost and Return Estimates for the state's livestock industry, and the Arizona Farm Machinery cost estimates. He is currently involved in a number of regional studies covering agricultural labor and risk management. Mr.

Department Head
Professor

My research continues to focus on consumer demand for all sorts of products from residential water to organic foods. I am currently working on projects analyzing consumer demand for fruits and vegetables, food safety, and health concerns. I thoroughly enjoy applying microeconometric methods for analyzing these food and resource questions.

University Distinguished Outreach Professor
Extension Specialist

Dr. Tronstad’s research interests include agricultural marketing, risk management, international trade, and operations research methods. Fruit and vegetable commodities, range livestock, and field crops are a part of his research and extension activities. Much of his work focuses on decision tools and aids that jointly consider production, marketing, and risk factors. He is a past co-editor of the Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

Associate Professor of Practice

Dr. Zuo teaches agribusiness management, finance, economic principles, and food economy. She was a visiting faculty member at Eastern Kentucky University from August 2015 to May 2016, where she taught seven courses related to agribusiness and advised a student team competing in the 2016 Alltech Innovation Competition. 

Her research examines issues of natural resource development with a focus on the interaction between fossil fuel extraction and community development. She also studies instructional pedagogies, including collaborative learning and inclusive teaching.