Rate My Professor Samuel Bell

Samuel Bell is an Assistant Professor (Senior Researcher) in the Department of Applied Economics at Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, and serves as Director of the Sustainability Double Degree Program, a position he assumed in 2023 following an internal search. He earned a Ph.D. in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University in 2015, a B.Econ. from the Australian National University in 1999, and a B.Comm. from the Australian National University in 1998. Bell brings more than 15 years of experience advancing sustainability initiatives globally, having led teams in academic and non-profit organizations across Africa—including Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Kenya—and the United States. Prior to his current roles, he co-founded and directed VITALITE Zambia (2013–2017) and Shared Value Africa Limited in Zambia (2011–2017), and served as a research assistant at Cornell University for USDA’s Zambia Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement Pilot Project (2010) and USAID’s Sustainable Agriculture & Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Program (2006–2011).

Bell’s research specializations encompass environmental economics, development, clean energy, sustainability, climate change, and program evaluation. His peer-reviewed publications appear in leading journals, including “Technology Adoption under Uncertainty: Take-Up and Subsequent Investment in Zambia” with P. Oliva, B.K. Jack, E. Mettetal, and C. Severen (Review of Economics and Statistics, 2019); “Agricultural adoption and behavioral economics: bridging the gap” with N.A. Streletskaya et al. (Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 2020); “The Random Quantity Mechanism: Laboratory and Field Tests of a Novel Cost-Revealing Procurement Mechanism” with N.A. Streletskaya (Environmental & Resource Economics, 2019); “Urban consumer preferences for nutrient-fortified foods in Zambia: a choice experiment” with N.A. Streletskaya et al. (Agribusiness, 2020); “Recipients’ satisfaction with locally procured food aid rations” with W.J. Violette et al. (World Development, 2013); and “Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) links biodiversity conservation with sustainable improvements in livelihoods and food production” with D. Lewis et al. (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011). He has taught courses including microeconomic theory (AEC 512), program evaluation (AEC 455/555), environmental economics and policy (AEC 352), market tools for managing greenhouse gas emissions (FES 400/500), economics of recreation and tourism (TRAL 432), and introduction to sustainable natural resources (MNR 511). Bell’s contributions include presentations at Agricultural & Applied Economics Association annual meetings (2017–2018), Centre for Behavioral and Experimental Agri-environmental Research conference (2017), Southern Regional Science Association (2019), and UNFCCC COP15/16 side events (2009–2010), as well as speaker roles in FAO-MICCA webinars (2012–2013) and policy briefs like “Advances in Agricultural GHG Measurement & Monitoring” (EcoAgriculture Partners, 2010). Awards and honors comprise the Social Entrepreneur Fellow from Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship (2017) and a delegate award to UNFCCC COP15 from Cornell’s Atkinson Center (2009).