The Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (FARE) is pleased to welcome Dr. Yu Na Lee as an assistant professor in agricultural business. Lee began her role on June 19th.

In this position, Lee will develop and maintain a strong research program in the application of agricultural business, that includes supervising graduate students at the M.Sc. and Ph.D. level. She will teach graduate and undergraduate courses in food, agriculture and resource economics and support an outreach program for the public and private sector.

“Everyone in the department is very excited that Yu Na will be joining us as a faculty member,” says Prof. John Cranfield, chair of the department. “She brings expertise in agribusiness and risk management that will add further depth to FARE and address a variety of stakeholder needs. Yu Na's interest in agricultural development will add further depth, and create new research opportunities for graduate students in the department.”

Lee’s research focuses on how risk and uncertainty affect the decisions and welfare of producers, consumers and households, with a focus on food price. Some of her current research topics include: impacts of food price volatility on migration in Ethiopia; economic experiments in Peru and the U.S. on farmers' decision-making under price uncertainty; and the role of agribusiness in alleviating market failures in developing countries.

“My first goal is to establish an internationally recognized research program within the theme of risk and uncertainty, food and policy,” she says. “I intend to address important yet interesting topics with clear policy implications.”

Lee comes to the University of Guelph from the University of Minnesota where she recently completed her Ph.D. in applied economics. Lee has three master’s degrees from the University of California, Cornell University and Yonsei University.   

“I am proud to be part of the Department of FARE, which is home to an excellent group of faculty, students, and staff,” shares Lee. “I am also excited about opportunities to engage with the broader community by addressing pressing issues in agribusiness and agri-food policy.”

Throughout her educational career, Lee has received many recognitions and awards, including the Master’s Thesis Award of Merit from the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economic Association and the Willis L. and Dorothy L. Peterson Graduate Fellowship from the University of Minnesota.