{"id":3505,"date":"2023-09-27T21:04:17","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T01:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/cals-news\/?p=3505"},"modified":"2023-09-27T21:06:50","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T01:06:50","slug":"cals-new-hires-september-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.uvm.edu\/cals-news\/cals-new-hires-september-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"CALS New Hires-September 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anaka Aiyar, Assistant Professor, Community Development and Applied Economics<\/h3>\n

\"AnakaAnaka Aiyar is a health economist who is passionate about studying health and food security of people living in resource constrained contexts. Her research program adopts a transdisciplinary perspective in evaluating health interventions and offers actionable recommendations to enhance the efficacy of health interventions. Aiyar’s research explores questions related to access, affordability, availability, of community resources and the impacts of policies on these resources. She is interested in understanding how inequality within communities impacts health and food security outcomes. Her context of research covers the global south with a special focus on India.<\/p>\n

Prior to joining UVMs Community Development and Applied Economics Department, she worked as an assistant professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Reno. Prior to that Aiyar worked as a post-doctoral associate at Cornell University. At Cornell, she worked in an inter-disciplinary team researching food security in India. Her experience working in multi-disciplinary teams continues to influence and inform her research.<\/p>\n

At the CDAE, Aiyar is looking forward to engaging with the UVM community and working collaboratively in developing grants to pursue practically relevant research. She is excited to connect with practitioners, policymakers, community leaders, and entrepreneurs, to share insights developed from trans-disciplinary research. Her goal is to develop projects that improve welfare and sustainability of communities she works with.<\/p>\n

Kellie Damann, UVM Extension Research Specialist<\/h3>\n

\"KellieKellie Damann has joined the UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils Program as a research specialist. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in plant science with a focus on plant pathology and plant-microbe interactions, and has been involved in agricultural research since 2015. Most of her research has been focused on pest and disease management in vegetable production.<\/p>\n

More recently, a large majority of Damann’s research has been focused on the organic sector of agriculture, more specifically organic cucurbit production. She is looking forward to learning more about the agriculture systems in Vermont and is eager to work closely with the growers and communities in this area.<\/p>\n

Damann moved to Vermont in 2022 from the Finger Lakes region of New York. She is looking forward to exploring all the natural beauty Vermont has to offer, including hiking, kayaking, swimming, skiing, and foraging for mushrooms.<\/p>\n

More New Hires<\/h3>\n