Yuyuan Che, an expert in risk assessment and applied microeconomic analysis, has been named an assistant professor with Texas Tech University's Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, according to officials within the College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. She officially stepped into her new teaching and research post on Sept. 1.

Che indicated that she is working broadly at the intersection of agriculture and the environment, with a particular emphasis on risk management, technology adoption, and sustainability. She is interested in analyzing the economic, psychological, and social information management dimensions of farmers' production and risk management choices. The objective of her research is to provide information and identify policies that improve farm income and environmental management outcomes. 

Her research has explored farmers' decision making in the Federal Crop Insurance Programs when considering climate shocks and behavioral factors. Che's focus has also been on understanding the foundation for developing more efficient policies to encourage conservation practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate risks. Another research area has centered on more traditional production topics such as nutrient applications and seeding rate choices.

Prior to joining the Texas Tech faculty, Che served as a postdoctoral research scholar with North Carolina State University's Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics. She received her bachelor's degree in mathematics from Sun Yat-Sen University and a master's degree in computer technology from Peking University in China. Her doctorate in agricultural, food and resource economics/economics (dual major) is from Michigan State University. Recent honors include the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Institutional, Behavioral & Experimental Section Best Paper Award (2022).

Tech's Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics currently has 18 tenured/tenure-track faculty members, along with 485 undergraduate students, and 70 graduate students. The department offers bachelor's degrees in agribusiness and agricultural and applied economics, as well as a concentration in international agribusiness with programs in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. It also offers master's and doctorate degrees in agricultural and applied economics, and a master of agribusiness. 

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

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