معرفی
Alan P. Ker serves as Professor and Elton R. Smith Chair in Food and Agricultural Policy in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Michigan State University's College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. Previously, he held academic positions at the University of Arizona where he served as professor and department head (2002-2007), and in Canada where he was Chair and Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics before becoming Director of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Food and Agricultural Policy.
Dr. Ker's research focuses on agricultural economics, food policy, risk management, and climate change economics. His work examines crop insurance programs, price volatility in agricultural markets, environmental crime impacts, and the economic consequences of climate change on agricultural production. He has developed sophisticated statistical methodologies for analyzing agricultural risk and has made significant contributions to understanding how environmental policies affect agricultural practices.
His recent publications (2024) demonstrate a strong focus on contemporary agricultural challenges including climate change adaptation, crop insurance solvency, environmental crime impacts on air quality, and price volatility in wheat markets. His research spans both North American and international contexts, with studies on Italian environmental policy and Canadian agricultural sectors.
Dr. Ker has received notable recognition including being named Fellow of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society (2021), serving as President of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society (2016-17), and holding the OAC Research Chair in Agricultural Risk and Policy (2019).
As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Ker has advised multiple graduate students including Ph.D. candidates Zhang, Fangyi and Lu, Hanjun, and M.Sc. student Schuurman, Daniel. He currently serves as Managing Editor of the Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics and continues to lead significant research initiatives in agricultural risk and policy analysis.
