Courtney Cooper

Courtney Cooper is a second-year environmental dynamics Ph.D. student at the University of Arkansas, specializing in local and regional food systems, primarily focusing on the Mississippi Delta region. She is passionate about applied food systems research that improves the lives of producers and rural communities and expects to complete and defend her dissertation in early 2025.

As a Ph.D. student, Courtney is a Doctoral Academy Fellow at the University of Arkansas. In 2023, she was awarded the Sylvia Lane Mentorship fellowship by AAEA to work with Dr. Dawn Thilmany on gendered perceptions of food and alcohol brands. At the University of Arkansas, she works with Dr. Trey Malone on several food systems-related projects, including projects with the World Wildlife Foundation and several multi-institution grants.

Courtney holds an undergraduate degree in horticulture. She also holds master’s degrees in agricultural economics from the University of Arkansas and Rural Development from Humboldt University in Berlin.