With Dr. Jeffrey Michler, I run the Applied International Development Economics Lab (AIDE Lab). We research a range of topics in applied economics around the world. We presently have MSc Graduate Research Assistantship opportunities available for students interested in working on issues of food security, agriculture, and shocks. We are seeking students with expertise in statistical analysis and programming (e.g. Stata, Python, R). For details on some of our current students, recent graduates, and their work, see below.

We are an Environment and Resilience Vertically Integrated Team, focused on increasing the accessibility of research opportunities for underrepresented groups. The Vertically Integrated Projects (VIPs) take a transformative approach to enhancing higher education by engaging undergraduate and graduate students in ambitious, long-term, large-scale, multidisciplinary project teams.

As part of our commitment to training and mentoring the next generation or researchers have previously offered undergraduate internships, with the generous sponsorship of the Resilience Internships and Student Experience (RISE) program for mentoring in a small-group setting by AIDE Lab members on how to formulate a research question and how to conduct data analysis in applied economics. To learn more about our interns, please visit the AIDE Lab Internship page. If you are interested in sponsoring more internships in the future, please reach out to me.

Maria Camila Salamanca Patiño: MSc in Applied Economics & Policy Analysis. Expected Graduation Date: May 2026.

Maria Camila is an economist from Universidad del Valle, Colombia, with experience in the sugarcane industry. She is currently pursuing an M.Sc. in Applied Economics and Policy Analysis. Her interests include development and behavioral economics, especially how incentives influence behavior for collective well being. She is conducting thesis research on long term impacts of financial community transformation in northern Bangladesh.

Degrees: Bachelor of Economics, Major of Economics; Universidad Del Valle, Colombia

Research Project: Taka the Lead: Women, Wallets, and Financial Empowerment in Bangladesh

Joseph Lanser: MSc in Applied Economics & Policy Analysis. Expected Graduation Date: May 2026.

Joseph holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Water Resource Economics, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Applied Econometrics at the University of Arizona. His academic interests center around behavioral economics and consumer decision-making. He is currently an intern with Salt River Project in Phoenix, where he supports load forecasting and data analysis in the energy sector.

Degrees: B.S. Environmental & Water Resource Economics, University of Arizona

Research Project: Heat Risk and Human Behavior in Puerto Rico

Tim Leavy: BS Agribusiness Economics and Management. Expected Graduation Date: May 2026.

Working on his undergraduate degree in Agribusiness Economics and Management, Tim is focused on applying economics to public, food, and labor policies. After completing his degree, he plans to seek an MS in Applied Economics and Policy Analysis at the University of Arizona and become more involved in Cooperative Extension. Along with his work in the AIDE Lab, Tim is a student worker in Corporate Relations and Advocacy, and with the Pima County Food Alliance.

Research Project: Mining Meaning Using Generative AI to Assess Economic Literature

Jacob Taylor: B.S. Environmental & Water Resource Economics, B.S. Computer Science. Expected Graduation Date: December 2025.

Jacob is a fourth year student in AREC.

Research Project: Honors Thesis - Food Security and Outdoor Preferences

Recent Graduates

• Rodrigo Guerra Su (graduation 2025): PhD Student at Texas A&M University

• Reece Branham (graduation 2025): Analyst at TANGO International

• Kieran Douglas (graduation 2025): MS at UC Davis

• Aurora Seekins (graduation 2025): MS at Boston University

• Samantha Wetherell (graduation 2024): MS student at Oxford University

• Chandrakant Agme (graduation 2024): Pre-Doctoral Fellow at Cornell University

• Lorin Rudin-Rush (graduation 2023): PhD Student at University of Wisconsin, Madison

• Dewan Abdullah Al Rafi (graduation 2023): PhD Student at University of Idaho

• Ann Furbush (graduation 2022): Analyst at Cambridge Econometrics

• Brian McGreal (graduation 2021), PhD Student at Washington State University, Quantitative Geography and Resource Management

• Emil Kee-Tui (graduation 2021): PhD Student at Cornell Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management

• Laura McCann (graduation 2021): PhD Student at University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy

• Diana Githu (graduation 2020): PhD Student at University of Arizona, Arid Lands