Past Ph.D. Student Job Placement

Below is a list of our Ph.D. graduates by last name and graduation year, along with their initial placement and current position. Updated May 27, 2025

Zheng, Yixing 2024

• Initial placement: Research Associate for CALS Global at Virginia Tech  

Karagulle, Yunus Emre 2024

• Initial placement: Senior Research Associate at the Center for Agricultural Trade in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech

Chishimba-Musonda, Elizabeth 2024

• Initial placement: Research Associate-Economist at TANGO International, Inc.  

Li, Yanggu 2024

• Initial placement: Post Doc Scholar at North Carolina A&T State University

Poghosyan, Armine 2024 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Assistant Professor at Tennessee State University

Cheng, Yang 2024 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics

Swedberg, Kristen 2024 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: ORISE Research Fellow, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  

Puri, Roshan 2023 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Post Doc Scholar at Center for Watershed Sciences, UC Davis, CA; Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems, USDA-ARS, Davis, CA

Kakpo, Ange 2022 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Assistant Professor of Economics at Seattle Pacific University

Beverly, Mariah Danielle 2022 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Assistant Extension Professor, University of Minnesota, Center for Farm Financial Management
  

Beverly, Joshua 2022 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Adjunct Professor, Bethel University
  
• Current: Assistant Professor of Quantitative Analysis, Business School at Hamline University  

Syrengelas, Konstantinos 2022 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Post Doc Researcher, L'Institut Agro and the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment

Wang, Yangchuan 2022 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Quantitative Modeling Associate at Key Bank

Yang, Jinyang 2022 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Fellow, Global Labor Organization
  
• Current: Assistant Professor, School of Economics at Huazhong University of Science and Technology

Yao, Zhenyu 2022 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Assistant Professor, Shenzhen MSU-BIT University
  

Villacis, Aveiga Alexis Homero 2020 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Assistant Professor, Ohio State University
  

Zhang, Zeya 2020 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement Post-Doc, Pennsylvania State University
• Current: Research Fellow at the University of Auckland

Cao, Xiang 2019 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Assistant Professor, Sichuan University

Cheng, Zhen 2019

• Initial placement: Researcher, Anhui University

Ning, Xin 2019 {Linkedin}

• Initial placement: Post Doc Researcher, Virginia Tech
• Current: Data Scientist, eBay

Shi, Yuxiao 2019 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Business Analyst, Zhenrongbao
• Current: Business Analyst at Beijing Kuaikuai Network Technology Co. LTD

Shi, Ruoding 2019 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Post Doc, University of Virginia
• Current: Principal Associate - Quantitative Analyst at Capital One

Vaiknoras, Kate Alyse 2019 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Research Agricultural Economist, USDA

Weng, Weizhe 2019 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Assistant Professor, SUNY Geneseo
• Current: Assistant Professor at the University of Florida

Xu, Yuelu 2019 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Post Doc, West Virginia University
  
• Current: Economist at Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research

Yang, Yanliang (Katrina) 2019 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Data Scientist, Google

Ji, Xinde 2018 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Florence Levy Kay Fellow in Environmental Economics, Brandeis University
• Current: Assistant Professor, Natural Resource and Environmental Economics, University of Florida

Kim, Namhoon 2018 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Research Fellow, Korea Rural Economic Institute
  
• Current: Assistant Professor, Pusan National University

Xie, Chaoping 2018 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Post Doc, Virginia Tech
• Current: Professor of Economics, Nanjing Agricultural University

Hejazi, Mina 2017 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement/Current: Assistant Professor of Agribusiness at California State University, Chico

Sun, Yu 2017 {Personal page}

• Initial placement/Current: Assistant Researcher, Institute for Global Health and Development; Assistant Director, PKU China Center for Health Economic Research
  

Yu, Ling 2017 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Sr. Modeling Associate, Discover Financial Services
• Current: Senior Machine Learning Engineer at EarnIn

Cohen, Jed 2016 {LinkedIn}

• Initial placement: Lecturer and Postdoctoral Researcher, West Virginia University
• Current: Manager of Demand Research and Forecasting, Salt River Project

Yenerall, Jacqueline Nicole 2015 {Personal page}

• Current: Assistant Professor, University of Tennessee