Rebecca Wasserman-Olin is a PhD student in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Colorado State University. Her work sits at the intersection of agribusiness, regional food systems, and applied economic development. She studies how procurement policy, seed and plant health investments, infrastructure for food entrepreneurs, and pest pressures shape economic outcomes for farmers, rural communities, and public institutions.

Before beginning her doctorate, Rebecca completed an MS at Cornell University (Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, SC Johnson College of Business), where she worked with Miguel Gómez on local and regional food supply chains and consumer valuation of product attributes. She holds a BS in Agricultural & Applied Economics and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her applied research experience spans university, nonprofit, and on-farm roles in Colorado, New York, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Current projects include: (1) the economic value of improving seed quality in U.S. sweetpotatoes through multi-state plant pathology trials, (2) how price structures in public food procurement affect bid competition and farm share of the food dollar, (3) the economic contributions of agriculture and food in Larimer County, Colorado, and (4) estimating damages from wheat stem sawfly infestations and implications for variety selection.

Rebecca engages regularly with growers, commodity groups, food industry partners, and policymakers. She is an AAEA Graduate Student Extension Competition finalist and serves as Graduate Student Section Chair for the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (2025–2026 term).

Outside of research, she has worked in food access initiatives, conservation-oriented farming systems, and direct-to-consumer marketing. These experiences inform her commitment to evidence that is technically sound, transparent, and useful to the people who rely on it.