AERE Scholars Program

The AERE Scholars Program is an ambitious mentoring initiative aimed at increasing diversity in environmental and natural resource economics, helping the newest members of our community succeed, and creating an inclusive culture that encourages members to give back to the organization and field. AERE is interested in engaging broader constituencies (as defined by race, ethnicity, gender identify, sexual orientation, institutional rank, research profile, career type and stage, among other dimensions of diversity) in the organization and larger economics community. The AERE Scholars Program focuses on establishing networking connections, developing the skills needed to succeed and lead in economics, and creating a critical mass of change agents needed to pivot the noted toxic culture in economics to one that is more diverse, empathic, and supportive. First, our mentoring program fosters relationships and networks along three dimensions: (1) the mentor and mentee, (2) peer groups of mentors and mentees, and (3) different cohort groups. Second, we advance skills via these networks by co-developing resources on how to succeed, how to mentor, and how to develop trust. Last, we build on lessons from collective leadership to mobilize program participants to act on the positive culture that we co-create. All accepted scholars will receive up to $1,000 plus two nights at the host hotel for travel to the AERE Summer Conference each year for the two years beginning and ending the program.

 

Program Committee>>

Process/Timeline:

  • Applications open: December 1
  • Information session: December 15 - View recording>>
  • Deadline for mentor applications: January 15
  • Deadline for scholar applications: January 15
  • Selections made/applicants notified: February 28
  • Matching done/participants notified: March 28
  • Mentor training/Scholar orientation: Monday, May 15 at 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. ET
  • In-person scholar program activities: May 31 (in conjunction with the 2023 Summer Conference, Holiday Inn By the Bay, Portland, ME)

Eligibility

  • Scholars: Any early-career scholar in environmental or natural resource economics who is no more than five years post PhD can apply (including those in academic and non-academic positions and those finishing PhD programs in application year). Scholars must demonstrate a commitment to increasing diversity in economics, an interest in actively working to improve the culture in economics, and a desire to grow personally and professionally. The scholar application includes 13 questions, five of which are short essays to be answered in no more than 150 words:
      • Demographic information (Name, email, current position, year of PhD, academic field, gender, race/ethnicity, other aspects of diversity)
      • Professional aspirations
      • Current research, research interests, and/or professional activities
      • How and why you think this program will benefit you as well as how and why you will benefit this program
      • Contributions to date and/or plans for future contributions to increase diversity and improve the culture in economics
      • Your ideal mentor  
Apply to be an AERE Scholar>>
  • Mentors: Mentors must have a minimum of five years of professional experience and be AERE members. We expect mentors to be willing to commit time and energy to the mentoring process, share experiences and advice about the profession, and provide objective feedback. The mentor application includes 11 questions, two of which are short essays to be answered in no more than 150 words: 
      • Demographic information (Name, email, current position, year of PhD, academic field, gender, race/ethnicity, other relevant positions/experiences, past participation in a mentoring program as a mentor or mentee)
      • What you will bring to the program
      • How you will benefit from the program
Apply to be an AERE Mentor>>

 

Congratulations to the 2022 Program Participants!

Mentors

  • Jacqueline Doremus (Cal Poly)
  • Nicholas Flores (University of Colorado Boulder)
  • Garth Heutel (Georgia State University)
  • Lily Hsueh (Arizona State University)
  • Benjamin Jones (University of New Mexico)
  • Antung Liu (Indiana University SPEA)
  • Edson Severnini (Carnegie Mellon University)
  • Laura Taylor (Georgia Institute of Technology)
  • Jeffrey Wagner (Rochester Institute of Technology)
  • Jeremy Weber (University of Pittsburgh)
  • William Wheeler (US EPA NCEE)
 Scholars
  • Loujaina Abdelwahed (The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art)
  • Arnold Behrer (The World Bank)
  • Elinor Benami (Virginia Tech)
  • Rushaine Goulbourne (The Brookings Institution)
  • Isla Globus-Harris (Colgate University)
  • Danae Hernandez-Cortes (Arizona State University)
  • Megan Lang (J-PAL and UC Santa Barbara)
  • Jennifer Meyer (Franklin and Marshall College)
  • Cody Nehiba (Louisiana State University)
  • Nathaly Rivera (University of Sao Paulo)
  • Ana Varela Varela (University of Amsterdam)

Past Cohorts>>

 

Mission
The AERE mentoring program aims to engage a diverse group of early career environmental and natural resource economists in AERE while providing invaluable career guidance, skill development, and networking opportunities. 

Vision
We envision that as a result of this program AERE will exhibit substantially greater diversity and will help make economics a field that is respected both for its contributions to addressing the world's problems and for embracing an inclusive culture.

Our Core Values

  1. We believe a diverse community makes for a more robust and inclusive organization and fosters excellence in our core functions as environmental and natural resource economists. 
  2. We believe all members deserve respect and opportunity.
  3. We believe in the sharing of skills and knowledge among and between mentees, leadership and mentors.
  4. We do not believe in single-dimension ranking or using pedigree to proxy for research quality.

Resources>>