RCNR Dean David Ackerly had these comments to share about Sofia:

Sofia is an outstanding scholar and teacher who cares deeply about the Department and its students. She is a leading expert on industrial organization within the agricultural economics profession and a leader in the economics profession generally; being particularly well-known for her work on the effects of information on consumer demand and market outcomes. Sofia’s dedication to the College’s undergraduates is unmatched. She has helped well over 100 undergraduates as their research mentor, honor thesis advisor, senior thesis advisor, or fellowship program sponsor, in addition to running the RCNR undergraduate honors program, a staggering amount of work. In addition to serving on or chairing ARE dissertation committees, Sofia’s major contribution to mentoring is in advising all ARE’s graduate students on the job market—helping with job paper revisions, interview preparation, and campus visits, resulting in a spectacular 100% placement record for ARE graduates.

Sofia brings an exemplary record of service to the Department, the College, and DANR in her new role as Department Chair. She has served as the Vice Chair of the Department; co-chaired ARE’s Placement Committee while also serving as its equity liaison; and engages in many ad hoc activities to help our students, staff, and faculty. For the College, Sofia has chaired RCNR’s Executive Committee and served on its Courses & Curriculum and Student Faculty Relations Committees. Sofia serves as the Director of the Giannini Center helping faculty inside and outside Berkeley obtain proprietary supermarket data for use in their research and serves as a member of the UC Planning and Budget working group for DANR.

Please join me in welcoming Sofia to her new position. On behalf of the Dean's Office, I extend my thanks once more to Chair Jeremy Magruder for leading efforts to promote the welfare of ARE’s faculty, staff, and students and for his support of my initiatives during his tenure as chair. If you have not already done so, please take the time to express your appreciation for Jeremy’s extraordinary service to the Department.

Congratulations, Sofia!