AG ECON Graduate Student SPOTLIGHTS
Learn more about our graduate students in their own words. We asked current MS and PhD graduate students to share their path to Purdue as well as their experiences in the AgEcon graduate programs. We hope their profiles will give you insight into what it is like to be a graduate student in Purdue's Department of Agricultural Economics.

Fei Qin
Ph.D. Student
Aug. 2018 start
Field experiments and visiting scholar opportunity stirs student's interest in studying agricultural economics

Mati Mohammadi
Ph.D. Student
Aug. 2018 start
Assistantship opens a window of opportunities for agribusiness student


Mario Ortez
PhD Student
Aug. 2019 start
Mario’s bond with agriculture was rooted at birth; his passion for agribusiness is cultivating his future

Hailey Utech
MS Student
Aug. 2020 start
Analytically driven, Hailey Utech is being challenged to look at data differently.

Pedro Antonio Díaz Cachay
MS Student
Aug. 2021 start
Deferred enrollment gives graduate student extra time to help his own students improve their English language skills

Megan Hughes
PhD Student
Aug. 2020 start
Motivated and involved, AAEA GSS chair-elect Megan Hughes discusses many opportunities available in Ag Econ

Manuel Jimenez
Ph.D. Student
MS - Aug. 2014 start; PhD - Aug. 2016 start
A research focus on maritime shipping gives Manuel a unique perspective into recent supply chain disruptions.

Zack Neuhofer
PhD Student
Aug. 2019 start