Dr. Lisa House
Professor and Chair
Dr. Lisa House is Professor and Department Chair in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. She also serves as Co-Director of the Florida Agricultural Market Research Center. Prior to taking over as Chair in 2018, she held a teaching and research appointment, teaching classes in food and agribusiness marketing and management, survey research for economists, and comparative world agriculture. Her research interests focus on consumer preferences and demand for food products.
Dr. House earned her B.S. in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida, followed by M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University. After returning to the University of Florida in 2001, Lisa House served as Undergraduate Coordinator from 2004–08 and 2014–15 and was named the Advisor of the Year both for CALS and UF in 2007-08. She has earned teaching awards from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida.
In research, Dr. House has received grants totaling over $15 million to research subjects such as consumer acceptance of genetically modified foods, demand for seafood products, perception of fruits and vegetables, and the role of social networks in new food product adoption. She was awarded the UF Research Foundation Professorship from 2017-2020.
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Research
Dr. House studies consumer behavior. She is primarily interested in understanding the effects of consumer attitudes, tastes, and preferences on Florida agriculture. As a food economist, House and her students and colleagues conduct research related to consumer behavior and the various challenges facing the agricultural industry to produce healthy food while predicting how consumers react to changing technologies and information. This has included a focus on consumer acceptance of foods produced with biotechnology, and the associated trade-offs for price, country of origin, and desired food attributes. Other research includes developing an understanding of how consumers interpret information on food product packaging, which can inform decisions for policy makers as well as agribusiness firms.
In addition to her research on consumer behavior, Dr. House also studies survey research methods. As she and her colleagues rely heavily on data collected directly from consumers, it is important to continually improve techniques used to gather this data.
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Extension
Dr. House works closely with the Florida fruit and vegetable industry, particularly the Florida Department of Citrus, to provide up to date information on consumer preferences and attitudes towards Florida food products.
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Teaching
Dr. House is not currently teaching classes. Prior to her role as Department Chair, she taught AEB 6817, Survey Research Methods for Economists, and AEB 3671 Comparative World Agriculture, as well as many other classes focusing on food and agribusiness marketing and management.
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Education
- Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University, 1995
- Publications