(09/30/25) BATON ROUGE, La. — Diana Amaya, a Ph.D. student in agricultural economics at LSU, is breaking new ground as the university’s first recipient of the prestigious FFAR Fellowship. The program from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research offers participants professional development and career guidance.

Amaya is part of a national cohort of 33 scholars selected for their potential to drive innovation in agriculture through interdisciplinary research and professional development. She is a Ph.D. student in agricultural economics who came to the program with a unique skillset — a background in food science and economics. She recently attended the first meeting with her cohort at North Carolina State University where she participated in workshops on various topics including self-assessment, networking and interpersonal communications.

“They gave us a lot of tools, how to present at conferences, how to be more audience-focused,” Amaya said. "We even had a coach that instructed us along the way in understanding our assessments and what weaknesses we can try to focus on in our professional development plan.”

The fellowship is a three-year program, and Amaya will attend cohort meetings in Washington, D.C.; Raleigh, North Carolina; and St. Louis, Missouri, and complete a professional development plan.

Originally from Honduras, Amaya earned her bachelor’s degree in food science and technology from Universidad Nacional de Agricultura in Honduras before coming to LSU for graduate studies. Her journey into agricultural economics was sparked by a desire to understand the financial and policy dimensions of agriculture, an area not widely available in her home country.

“I already have a background with agriculture, so why not try to see the economic perspective on it?” she said.

Amaya’s academic advisor, Michael Deliberto, an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, is one of her mentors for the program. Deliberto said the opportunities available through the FFAR Fellows Program would be impactful to Amaya’s development as a policy economist.

“The insights that she will gain from this fellowship will reinforce the collaborative approach that FFAR employs among agricultural producers, industry groups, scientists, processors and government agencies to deliver practical and financially-sound solutions to some of agriculture’s challenges of the 21st century,” Deliberto said.

In addition to being named a FFAR Fellow, Amaya was one of five from her cohort to receive The Rockey FFAR Fellows Fund. This funding removes the financial burden on applicants and increases participation in the program. The fund can also bolster the range of research fellows conduct and increase participants’ effectiveness as scientists.

Set to graduate in 2028, Amaya has the professional goal of working in extension education after graduation so that she can better evaluate the usefulness and accessibility of tools and regulations to promote resilient, effective and sustainable food systems.

“Her exposure to individuals across the food value chain within the FFAR Fellowship will undoubtably allow her to meet such an ambitious goal,” Deliberto said.

The 2025-2028 cohort of the FFAR Fellows. The group met for the first time at North Carolina State University in August. Photo provided by the FFAR Fellows Program

Diana Amaya, a FFAR Fellow and Ph.D. student in the LSU College of Agriculture, participates in a workshop during a meeting of the FFAR Fellows in August at North Carolina State University. Photo provided by the FFAR Fellows Program