Empower Your Team With

AFRE Job Candidates.

Advancing Economics. Transforming Lives.

The Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE) at Michigan State University is a globally renowned leader in agricultural and applied economics. AFRE is dedicated to addressing real-world problems by linking cutting-edge research with policy and business challenges. With more than 5000 alumni and a faculty made up of dynamic researchers, teachers, and informed practitioners, AFRE prepares the next generation of applied economists and managers to meet the needs of economic systems in Michigan and across the globe.

Fernanda Alfaro-Gonzalez, Ph.D. Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Local Public Finances and Regional Development

References: Mark Skidmore; Scott Loveridge; Dusan Paredes

Job Market Paper: Cross-State Pass-Through on Subway Sandwiches After a Minimum Wage Increase

Email: alfarog3@msu.edu

Nahian Bin Khaled, Ph.D. Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Technology Adoption, Social Transfer Programs, and Agricultural Value Chains

References: Mywish Maredia, Saweda Liverpool-Tasie, Ben Belton

Email: nahian@msu.edu

Samuel Darko-Koomson, Master’s Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Soil Testing; Soil Health; Farmer Behavior 

References: Nicole Mason-Wardell

Email: darkokoo@msu.edu

Zekuan Dong, Ph.D. Candidate

Michael Hall, Ph.D. Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Labor Economics, Production Economics, Development Economics

References: Alan Ker, Zachariah Rutledge, Mywish Maredia

Email: hallmi27@msu.edu

Anna Hooks, Master’s Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Labor Economics, Adaptation Strategies

References: Zachariah Rutledge, Jaime Luke

Email: hooksann@msu.edu

Ye Rim Lee, Ph.D. Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Energy Resilience, Climate Disasters, Fuel & Power Markets

References: Mark Skidmore, Scott Loveridge, Dusan Paredes

Job Market Paper: Short-Term Impact of Wildfire on Retail Gasoline Prices

Email: leeye12@msu.edu

Jiawen Liu, Ph.D. Candidate

Primary Research Focus: International Trade; Development; Networks Analysis

References: Michael Olabisi , Songqing Jin, Maredia Mywish, Chun Zhu

Job Market Paper: Trade Resilience to Natural Disasters: A Structural Perspective on Global Vulnerabilities

Email: liujiaw5@msu.edu

Saera Oh, Ph.D. Candidate

Primary Research Focus: International Trade, Agriculture in International Trade

References: Nicole Mason-Wardell, Songqing Jin, Oren Ziv, Chun (Susan) Zhu

Job Market Paper: Related Party Trade and Gravity: Revisiting the Distance Effects

Email: ohsaera@msu.edu

Jordan Renn, Master’s Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Food and Agriculture Economics

References: Jaime Luke, Shaheer Burney

Email: rennjord@msu.edu

Noormah Rizwan, Ph.D. Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Climate change adaptation; urban water economics and governance; agricultural economics; applied microeconomics; spatial data analysis and GIS; impact evaluation and policy design.

References: Molly Sears, James Sears, Soren Anderson, Mywish Maredia

Job Market Paper: Weathering the Change: Modeling Crop Choices in Response to Climate Variability

Email: noormah.riz@gmail.com

Zhenglian Yang, Ph.D. Candidate

Shirel Ponnudurai, Master’s Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Food marketing and consumer behaviour

References: Vincenzina Caputo, Nicole Mason-Wardell

Email: ponnudur@msu.edu

Rubait Rahman, Ph.D. Candidate

Primary Research Focus: Food and Agricultural Policy, Environment, and Health

References:

Job Market Paper:

Email: rahmanr3@msu.edu