I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. My primary research focuses on the intersection of environmental and development economics, with additional interests in ecosystem services and natural capital accounting. My goal is to enhance public policymaking by examining the economic impacts of environmental policies and the environmental consequences of development initiatives through transdisciplinary approaches. I am a member of NatCap TEEMs (The Earth-Economy Modelers) and Bellemare Research Group.

My dissertation explores the interrelationships between forests and humans,addressing topics such as poverty alleviation and forest conservation, large-scale tree planting and local economic development, and the connections between reforestation through payments for ecosystem services (PES) and rural livelihoods.

My job market paper reveals that rural poverty alleviation in China significantly increases forest cover, with carbon storage benefits valued at nearly five times the intervention cost. The primary mechanism is relocation through poverty alleviation, presenting a novel, cost-effective strategy for forest conservation via poverty reduction.

I am currently on the job market for the 2024-2025 academic year. You can find his job market paper here.