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Chenyang “Nate” Hu

Postdoctoral Research Associate
Nate Hu: Male wearing a blue shirt with his arms crossed
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Location:

250 Drillfield Drive
318 Hutcheson Hall
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Contact:

huchenyang@vt.edu
curriculum vitae
google scholar

I am an applied economist whose research lies at the intersection of agricultural trade and policy, environmental and resource economics, and applied econometrics. My work examines how trade, environmental, and energy policies affect agricultural markets, land use, and local communities, with a particular focus on agricultural trade and market shocks, large-scale solar development, and agri-environmental policy.

  • Ph.D., Economics, Virginia Tech, 2025
  • M.A., Data Analysis and Applied Statistics, Virginia Tech, 2024
  • M.S., Applied Economics and Policy, University of Arizona, 2019
  • M.S., Finance, Pacific Lutheran University, 2015
  • B.S., Economics, China University of Petroleum, 2011

My research focuses on agricultural trade, environmental and resource economics, energy economics, and applied econometrics. I use spatial, causal, and market-modeling approaches to study how public policies, trade shocks, and land-use changes shape agricultural, environmental, and rural outcomes. Current research areas include:

  • Agricultural trade policy, fertilizer trade disruptions, import shocks, export demand shocks, and commodity market adjustment
  • Environmental and agricultural policy, including nitrogen management, conservation incentives, and agri-environmental program design
  • Large-scale solar development, land use, property values, local communities, and environmental justice
  • Rural energy transition, including agrivoltaics and utility-scale solar development
  • Applied spatial and causal econometric methods
  • Agricultural, environmental, and energy market modeling

  • Environmental and Sustainable Development Economics (AAEC 3324), Virginia Tech, Fall 2023

Hu, C., Chen, Z., Liu, P., Zhang, W., He, X., & Bosch, D. (2025). “Impact of Large-scale Solar on Property Values in the US: Diverse Effects and Causal Mechanisms.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(24), e2418414122.

Hu, C., Zhang, W., & Bosch, D. (2025). “Improving Nitrogen Management in US Agriculture: Yield Reserve vs. Land Retirement.” Journal of Environmental Quality, 1–15.