Andrew Hobbs

I’m a development and environmental economist. I use machine learning and big data, including satellite imagery linked with ground-based surveys, to study how technology helps people learn, and how it helps them adapt to climate change. Current threads include index insurance for smallholder farmers and the welfare effects of AI in low- and middle-income economies.

Before grad school I lived and worked in Mozambique on climate-smart agriculture. Earlier, I worked on renewable energy and energy efficiency policy in the U.S., Germany, and China.

At USF I’m Academic Director of the Master of Science in Applied Economics (MSAE) and a co-organizer of the Bay Area Tech Economics Seminar. Prospective graduate students interested in working with me should apply to MSAE, or to USF’s International and Development Economics (IDEC) MS.