Sunghun Lim, an expert in global agricultural value chains, has been named an assistant professor in agribusiness with Texas Tech University's Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, according to officials within the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. He officially steps into his new research and teaching post on Sept. 1.

Lim's research centers on the interaction between agricultural supply chains, international trade, risk analysis, and development. The major focus of his research is studying how global agricultural value chains affect national economic outcomes, such as structural transformation, employment, food security, and international trade.

His other research interest is understanding the ways in which farmers' risk attitudes toward uncertainty affect strategic agribusiness management, in the context of contract farming, crop diversification, food security, and supply chains.

One of his primary goals here at Tech is to develop an innovative and collaborative research program in agricultural economics and agribusiness to provide domestic and international agricultural policy. Lim is also expected to make a strong contribution to the department's Master of Agribusiness program by capitalizing on an already growing student enrollment and contributing to the outreach program that targets local, national, and international agribusiness firms.

Lim's research papers have been selected to present at numerous international conferences, including the Royal Economic Society (RES), European Association of Agricultural Economist (EAAE), and Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE-Oxford). He recently contributed to the agricultural policy debate, being invited to the headquarter of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO-Rome) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Prior to joining the Texas Tech faculty, Lim served as a graduate research assistant with the University of Minnesota Extension's Applied Research and Evaluation Team. His primary job was leading large scale statewide impact studies in the topics, including the USDA-Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), healthy food choice experiments, farmers' markets, and local supply chains.

In addition, he was a graduate research assistant with the National Food Protection and Defense Institute (FPDI)'s Global Food Supply Chain Team, and the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs. Separately, he worked as an instructor (adjunct faculty) at St. Catherine University, Augsburg University, and the University of Minnesota; as well as working as a teaching assistant at the University of Minnesota and the University of California-Davis.

Lim received a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California-Davis. His doctorate in applied economics is from the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA); International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE); Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (AARES); European Association of Agricultural Economics (EAAE); Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association (NAREA); and Agricultural Economics Society (AES).

Tech's Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics currently has 17 tenured/tenure-track faculty members, three adjunct faculty members, 470 undergraduate students, and 73 graduate students. It offers bachelor's degrees in Agribusiness and Agricultural and Applied Economics; master's and doctorate degrees in Agricultural and Applied Economics, and a Masters of Agribusiness.

CONTACT: Phillip Johnson, chair and director of the Thornton Agricultural Finance Institute, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-0474 or phil.johnson@ttu.edu

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