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Biography
LaPorchia Collins is an applied economist in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. Her research program focuses on equity in food, agriculture, and nutrition. Her research aims to address multiple dimensions of food insecurity by examining inequalities across the food system and social issues at the food-health-environment nexus. Before joining Friedman, Dr. Collins served as a research agricultural economist at the USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS), where she conducted research on livestock and animal product markets, including on topics such as livestock industry structure, farm management and minority farm performance, and links between demand for plant-based meat alternatives and environmental outcomes.
Before ERS, Dr. Collins served as a professor of practice and director of undergraduate studies in economics at Tulane University, where she worked for five years upon completion of her doctoral studies. For her contributions to teaching and research, Dr. Collins was awarded the 2020 Lawrence M. v. D. Schloss Prize for Excellence in Economics.
Since 2022, Dr. Collins has served in leadership on the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s (AAEA) Committee on the Opportunities and Status of Blacks in Agricultural Economics (COSBAE). During her academic studies, Dr. Collins was honored as a Patrick S. Osmer Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) Fellow and USDA 1890 National Scholar.