University of Illinois U-C names Sarah Low as head of agricultural and consumer economics

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has appointed Sarah Low as head of its department of agricultural and consumer economics.

Since 2018, she has served as associate professor of regional economics and the Fred V. Heinkel chair in agriculture in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. Prior to that, she served as an economist with the USDA Economic Research Service in Washington D.C. from 2008 to 2018. 

Low’s research focuses on rural and regional development using spatial analysis and econometric methods, as well as entrepreneurship as a strategy to grow economies. She has authored or co-authored 24 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 30 policy or technical assistance publications.

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the department of agricultural and consumer economics is part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES).

“I am very excited about Dr. Low joining ACES as the next leader in the Department of ACE,” said ACES interim dean Germán Bollero. “Her ability to articulate a vision for the department’s future, her success as an effective administrator in federal government and extension, and an appreciation for subfields in the department demonstrate that she brings an excellent leadership skill set to the role of department head.

She will start work as department head on Aug. 16, pending approval of her appointment as a tenured professor and approval of the administrative appointment by the university’s board of trustees.