Stephen Vosti PhD

Stephen A. Vosti, PhD, is an Associate Adjunct Professor Emeritus in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and an affiliated faculty member of the Institute for Global Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. His research focuses on the economic dimensions of global development, including tropical deforestation, poverty-environment and climate-poverty links, environmental and natural resource economics, biodiversity policy, and the economic impacts of policies on human welfare.

Dr. Vosti has extensive experience conducting interdisciplinary, field-based research across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. His work integrates economics, nutrition, geography, and biostatistics to address complex challenges related to poverty, malnutrition, environmental sustainability, and public policy. He has co-led research developing tools to improve the cost-effectiveness of micronutrient interventions and nutrition policies, with projects involving vitamin A supplementation, micronutrient powders, small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements, and food fortification in countries including Uganda, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Ethiopia.

Throughout his career, Dr. Vosti has worked closely with policymakers, researchers, international organizations, and development partners to translate research findings into practical strategies for improving health, nutrition, livelihoods, and environmental outcomes. His field experience includes Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Pakistan. He received his PhD and MSc from the University of Pennsylvania and his BA from Whitman College. His honors include the 2019 UC Davis Chancellor’s Award for International Engagement and the 2025 Premio ProTicino.