The School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) and the Department of Economics welcome Vivian Hoffmann in a joint-appointment as associate professor at Carleton University.

“We in the Department of Economics are very happy to welcome Vivian to Carleton,” says Department Chair Hashmat Khan. “Vivian is producing frontier knowledge in the area of development economics, global food policy and security. Her joint Economics-SPPA appointment is an exciting opportunity to spur research interactions between faculty members and graduate students in our respective departments.”

Professor Hoffmann has a BA in geography from the University of British Columbia and a PhD in applied economics from Cornell University. Her research addresses how citizens and firms interact with government efforts to correct market failures through regulation and the provision of public goods. Her work to date has focused on the impact of interventions to improve health and reduce poverty in low- and middle-income countries. She uses quantitative methods, and much of her research is based on field experiments and randomized controlled trials. Hoffmann enjoys working across disciplines and has collaborated with microbiologists, agronomists, chemists and epidemiologists.

“We are excited to have Vivian join us,” says Jennifer Stewart, director of the School of Public Policy and Administration. “Her significant contribution to research in development economics adds to our expertise in development policy, and her work will enhance our expertise in evaluation and economic policy.”

Before joining Carleton, Professor Hoffmann was a senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), where she retains a part-time appointment and serves as deputy lead of the One Health Initiative, a research program on the intersections of animal, human and environmental health in food systems. Prior to joining IFPRI she was an assistant professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of Maryland.

“I’m enjoying being back in Canada after living in the U.S. and Kenya for over 20 years,” says Professor Hoffman. “Everyone has been incredibly welcoming so far, and I look forward to developing new research collaborations with both students and faculty.”