Ellen McCullough

Ellen McCullough serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics within the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia (UGA). Her research program focuses on agricultural development economics in Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular emphasis on household decision-making, gender dynamics, and food security systems. Based in 315B Conner Hall on UGA's CAES Campus in Athens, Georgia, she maintains active field research collaborations across Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.

Her scholarly work examines critical intersections of:

• Economic impacts of structural transformation in agrarian societies
• Gendered distribution of unpaid care work and household labor
• Climate risk management and soil health investment behaviors
• Policy evaluation of agricultural interventions (fertilizer adoption, value chains)
• Innovative measurement techniques for dietary diversity and food security

McCullough's recent publications demonstrate methodological sophistication through field experiments, high-frequency mobile surveys, and econometric analysis of household behavior. Her 2022-2025 work reveals growing emphasis on experimental approaches to understanding how belief updating affects gender norms and how climate variability shapes agricultural investment decisions. This research directly informs policy design for social protection programs and climate-resilient agricultural development in resource-constrained settings.

While her publication record shows consistent output since 2004 with notable acceleration in recent years, no scientific awards or student mentorship details appear in available public profiles. Her research briefings and workshop contributions indicate active engagement with Ethiopian government programs like the Productive Safety Net Programme.