Ben White

Ben White is an Associate Professor in the UWA School of Agriculture and Environment. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1989) and a BSc in Agriculture from London University (1981). With over three decades of academic experience, he transitioned from Newcastle University (1981–2001) to UWA in 2001, serving as Head of the School of Agriculture and Resource Economics (2007–2013). His research focuses on environmental and agricultural economics, particularly environmental contracts and incentives for farmers to provide public goods. His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to sustainable agriculture and climate action.

Education:

• BSc in Agriculture, London University (1981)
• PhD in Agricultural Economics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1989)

Research Interests:

• Environmental economics and policy
• Natural resource management
• Risk management in agriculture
• Biosecurity economics
• Household economic behavior

Grants & Advising:

Ben has secured 22 grants, including projects on biosecurity, honeybee industry sustainability, and dung beetle ecological impacts. He supervises datasets like the beekeepers' survey on natural resource use in Western Australia. His leadership roles and collaborative research underscore his contributions to agricultural and environmental policy design.

Labs/Teams: Active in interdisciplinary teams focused on bioeconomic modeling, conservation policy, and sustainable land use. His work integrates economic analysis with ecological and social dimensions of environmental challenges.