Dairy Economist

UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 76,500 - 93,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation and holidays

Retirement benefits

Job summary

The Dairy Economist position at UW–Madison CALS is a full-time academic staff member embedded in the Dairy Innovation Hub. The role focuses on dairy economics research, outreach, and collaboration across UW–Madison and partner campuses to strengthen Wisconsin’s dairy sector.

The successful candidate will lead applied research, provide expert analysis on milk pricing and dairy supply chains, and engage with stakeholders to translate findings into policy and industry practice.

Qualifications

• Three or more years of relevant professional experience in dairy markets and dairy-related businesses.
• Experience conducting original applied research or analysis on dairy markets and the dairy value chain, including publications or reports.
• Ability to translate research findings into actionable insights for stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support applied research on dairy markets and the dairy value chain to produce scholarly and outreach materials.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert on dairy markets for stakeholders within and beyond the university.
• Engage with industry leaders, policymakers, farmers, media, and community groups to translate findings into solutions.
• Collaborate with CALS, Extension, UW–Madison, and Hub campuses to advance integrated approaches to dairy challenges.
• Contribute to reporting on economic and social impact of the Dairy Innovation Hub.

Skills

Dairy markets

Stakeholder engagement

Applied research

Data analysis

Education

Master's degree in economics/agricultural economics/agribusiness

PhD preferred

Job description

Job Category

Academic Staff

Employment Type

Regular

Job Profile

Scientist III

Job Summary

The Dairy Economist is a full-time staff member of the Dairy Innovation Hub, housed within the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. This position operates on behalf of the Hub as an integrated member of its statewide team – actively contributing to the Hub’s mission, priorities, and collaborative model. The Hub is a forward-looking, statewide initiative, that advances science, technology, and economic sustainability for Wisconsin’s dairy community. While the Hub spans UW–Madison, UW–Platteville, and UW–River Falls, this position is primarily focused on supporting dairy economics research, analysis, and outreach at UW–Madison. At the same time, there will be opportunities for the Dairy Economist to collaborate with Extension partners and faculty and staff across all three campuses to strengthen statewide impact and advance shared priorities. Successful candidates will bring expertise in dairy markets and agribusiness to conduct applied research and deliver outreach relevant to stakeholders across the dairy supply chain. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated technical and institutional knowledge in milk pricing, dairy marketing orders, dairy supply chains, financial analysis, risk management, or international trade. The Dairy Economist will contribute directly to the Hub’s research, outreach, and stakeholder engagement efforts, working with a growing team of economists at UW–Madison and collaborating with faculty and staff in CALS, the Division of Extension, and the Center for Dairy Research.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support applied research and analysis on dairy markets and businesses in the dairy value chain to produce academic and outreach materials that are timely and responsive to stakeholder needs.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert on dairy markets and dairy-related businesses for stakeholders both within and beyond the university.
• Engage with stakeholders, including industry leaders, policymakers, farmers, media, and community groups, to translate research findings into actionable insights and solutions.
• Work with interdisciplinary teams within CALS, the Division of Extension, UW–Madison, and across the Hub’s campuses to advance integrated approaches to solving real-world challenges in the dairy value chain.
• Contribute to the mission of the Hub by leading efforts to determine the economic and social impact of the Dairy Innovation Hub and report findings to stakeholders and policymakers.
• Contribute to the Hub’s annual reporting efforts by infusing economic impact data.
• Provide presentations, posters, and engagement to support the Hub’s signature events (Dairy Summit, Dairy Symposium, posters at the State Capitol, etc.), as well as at industry conferences, and public events; contribute to on-site event execution and attendee engagement as part of a collaborative team.
• Contribute to a supportive and inclusive academic environment.

About the Dairy Innovation Hub

The Dairy Innovation Hub’s mission is to position Wisconsin’s dairy community for economic, environmental, and social success by advancing science, developing talent, and strengthening collaboration. Supported by $7.8 million annually from the state of Wisconsin, the Hub drives research and development across UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, and UW-River Falls to keep Wisconsin’s $52.8 billion dairy community at the global forefront of producing nutritious dairy products in a sustainable way. The Hub’s vision is to be the world’s leading source of new discoveries and talent development in dairy. Its work focuses on four priority areas: stewardship of land and water resources, enriching human health and nutrition, ensuring animal health and welfare, and growing farm businesses and communities. Learn more at: dairyinnovationhub.wisc.edu

About UW–Madison

Since its founding in 1848, this campus has been a catalyst for the extraordinary. As a public land‑grant university and major research institution, our students, staff, and faculty engage in a world‑class education while solving real‑world problems. With public service — or as we call it, the Wisconsin Idea — as our guiding principle, Badgers are creating a better future for everyone.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Identifies, writes, or assists in developing grant opportunities, grant applications, and proposals to secure research funding
• Attends and assists with the facilitation of scholarly events and presentations in support of continued professional development and the dissemination of research information
• Conducts literature reviews, prepares reports and materials and, disseminates information to appropriate entities
• Serves as an institutional subject matter expert and liaison with key internal and external stakeholders providing expert level information and representing the interests of a specialized research area
• Identifies research problems and develops highly complex research methodologies and procedures. Publishes and presents results to help advance research
• Collects and analyzes highly complex research data, conducts experiments and interviews, and documents results according to established policies and procedures

Department

Dairy Innovation Hub

Compensation

The minimum starting salary for this position is $85,000. However, final salary will depend on experience and qualifications. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. Additional benefits information can be found at: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf

Required Qualifications

• Three or more years of relevant professional experience in dairy markets and dairy-related businesses on topics such as milk pricing, dairy marketing orders, dairy supply chains, financial analysis, risk management, or international trade.
• Experience conducting original applied research or analysis on dairy markets and businesses in the dairy value chain, including the development of academic publications, industry reports, or related presentations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience engaging in outreach to dairy market stakeholders such as dairy farmers, dairy processors, dairy agribusiness, policymakers, and/or consumers. Examples of outreach may include invited talks, media interviews, popular press articles, reports, event attendance, etc.
• Demonstrated experience working within a team to conduct research, analysis and/or outreach on dairy or related markets, pricing, trade, and supply chain, including internal and external team members.
• Demonstrated ability to cultivate and engage a robust network of industry and academic partners.

Education

Required: Master’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, business, agribusiness, or a related field

Preferred: PhD in economics, agricultural economics, business, agribusiness, or a related field

Additional Information

• Criminal Background Check may be required
• Evaluation Period may be required
• Some travel will be required for this position
• Candidate will need to have the ability to reliably travel when required - driver’s license is preferred

Work Schedule

Normal hours are 9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. Occasional nights and weekends may be required for this position.

Contact Information

Sonia Parker, CALS HR Generalist

[e-mail]

608-890-2547

Institutional Statement on Diversity

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.