I am a professor of applied economics and Head of the Economics Division at Stirling Business School. I am also an active member of the Stirling Behavioural Science Centre. My work focuses on unraveling the complexities of human choice - examining how consumers form preferences, make decisions, and perceive value across food, health, and market contexts.
My academic journey started with an MSc in Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA. My studies encompassed subjects such as industrial organisation, food safety economics, and decision-making models. Subsequently, I obtained a PhD in Economics from the University of Manchester, UK. My doctoral research focused on employing stated preference techniques to investigate consumer preferences in the context of food safety. This foundation propelled me to the University of York, where I contributed to transformative studies on healthcare innovation preferences before bringing this expertise to Stirling.
As a faculty member at the University of Stirling, I continued to focus on research on understanding individual preferences, decision-making processes, and perceptions across various domains, including food, health, and marketing. By integrating principles from both economics and behavioral science, I apply interdisciplinary methodologies to explore these topics in depth. Additionally, I have a strong interest in enhancing survey design and refining survey methodologies to improve data quality and research outcomes.
Beyond academia, I have contributed to policy discussions as a member of the Social Science Research Committee for the UK's Food Standards Agency, a non-ministerial government department responsible for shaping food-related public health policies.