Meet Dr. Kathryn Bender, Professor of Environmental Economics

Dr. Kathryn Bender, Professor of Environmental EconomicsThe field of Economics is filled with a wide variety of sub-disciplines, one of the most fascinating is Environmental Economics – the area of economics dealing with the relationship between the economy and the environment. Dr. Bender joins the Allegheny College Center for Business and Economics this fall to help students discover the economics of natural resources.

Dr. Bender commented, “I’m excited to start at Allegheny this fall! I’m involved in several projects on consumer food waste behavior and hopes to find new avenues to explore at Allegheny around this topic.”

Dr. Bender earned a Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics from The Ohio State University. Dr. Bender’s research interests are in the area of agricultural, environmental, and development economics. Dr. Bender’s dissertation, “Date Labels and Food Waste: A study of the effect of label characteristics on food waste in the United States,” studies the confluence of environmental science, economics, and marketing in the food distribution ecosystem in the United States. She is also interested in exploring the effect of feminine hygiene programs in developing countries on the environment along with women’s empowerment, health, and education.

In her free time, Dr. Bender enjoys playing soccer, riding horses, and hanging out with her two dogs, Huck and Nala.