Kimberly Rollins, PhD

Education Doctorate: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Agricultural and Applied Economics. 1990. Dissertation: “Agriculture and Wildlife: From Principal-Agent Theory to a Wisconsin Economic Policy” Bachelor of Arts: University of Maine, Orono, Maine. 1981 Major: Zoology

I am interested in economic problems associated with allocation of public goods, incentive mechanisms for optimal conservation and use of environmental amenities, policy, and valuation of environmental amenities. I’ve developed my research program with a diversity of applications, which provide opportunities to work with people in other disciplines, and to learn more about how society depends upon the natural environment and on how the natural environment is in turn affected by society.

Applications I've worked on include: wildfire and invasive species in the Great Basin, landowner and wildlife conflicts in North America, tropical forest conservation in Costa Rica, protected areas in the Northwest Territories, backcountry canoeing areas in Ontario, Aboriginal fishery management on the Great Lakes, optimal incentives for private users of public forests, management of parks and protected areas, "green" consumer products, groundwater protection in Ontario, and municipal water systems.

In addition to academic research, I have been involved in projects that allow research results to be transferred to practitioners in the public and private sectors.

The field of environmental and resource economics provides a rewarding analytical means to bridge my interest and concern for the environment with practical policy analysis. I feel a personal commitment to research that has clear and practical applications to current environmental problems.