Julie Mueller

About

Dr. Julie M. Mueller is an Associate Professor with joint appointments in The W. A. Franke College of Business (80%) and the School of Earth and Sustainability (20%) at Northern Arizona University. She also serves as Chief Economic Advisor to President Cruz Rivera, where she drives development of institutional policies and strategies that support long-term financial sustainability.

Research Interests

Environmental Economics and Valuation

• Nonmarket valuation methodology for environmental goods and services
• Choice experiment methodology and sophisticated survey design
• Willingness-to-pay estimation for ecosystem services
• Economic analysis of environmental policies and regulations
• Cost-benefit analysis of environmental programs

Forest Restoration Economics

• Economic valuation of forest restoration benefits
• Watershed services and hydrologic response valuation
• Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) economic analysis
• Pine beetle infestation and forest management economics
• Landscape-scale restoration benefit assessment

Rural and Regional Economics

• COVID-19 pandemic impacts on rural communities
• Tourism-dependent community economic resilience
• Regional economic development and sustainability
• Rural policy analysis and implementation
• Community economic impact assessment

Water Resources Economics

• Watershed restoration and water services valuation
• Irrigator willingness-to-pay for watershed protection
• Water resource management and policy economics
• Verde Valley water resource studies
• Hydrologic services economic valuation

Education

• Ph.D. Economics (specialization in environmental economics)
• M.A. Economics
• B.A. Economics/Related Field

Professional Experience

Academic and Administrative Positions

• Chief Economic Advisor to the President, Northern Arizona University (current)
• Associate Professor, NAU Franke College of Business and School of Earth and Sustainability (current)
• Principal Investigator, Multiple NSF and USGS-funded research projects

Leadership Roles

• Institutional Policy Development - Strategic planning and pricing analysis
• Financial Sustainability Planning - Long-term institutional financial strategy
• Research Program Leadership - Environmental economics and policy research

Research Impact

Dr. Mueller has made significant contributions to environmental economics with over 425 citations across 23 research publications. Her work directly informs forest management decisions, water policy, and rural economic development strategies across the southwestern United States.

Major Research Projects

NSF-Funded COVID-19 Rural Communities Research

• “Build and Broaden: Advancing fundamental knowledge of social, behavioral, and economic responses to pandemics in minority communities”
• Focus on rural and tourism-dependent communities in northern Arizona
• Interdisciplinary approach combining economics, sociology, and public health
• Policy response development for future pandemic preparedness

USGS Forest Ecosystem Valuation Project

• $185,000 grant to measure economic value of forest ecosystems in northern New Mexico
• Focus groups and stakeholder interviews in New Mexico
• Statewide surveys on willingness to pay for water-related ecosystem services
• Forest-water nexus economic analysis

Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) Research

• Economic analysis of 2.4 million acre restoration project in Arizona
• Nonmarket valuation of forest restoration benefits
• GIS-based spatial analysis of restoration values
• Stakeholder engagement and benefit distribution analysis

Verde Valley Water Resources Study

• NSF-funded collaboration with Professor Abe Springer
• Irrigator survey on watershed restoration willingness-to-pay
• Water resource management economic analysis
• Agricultural water use and conservation economics

Key Research Findings

Forest Restoration Economic Benefits

• Watershed restoration WTP: $183.50 per year per household
• Annual benefits: $400,000 for upland forest restoration
• Pine beetle management WTP: $411 per household for harvesting and burning
• Risk reduction benefits: Significant nonmarket values for downstream water users

Geospatial Valuation Innovation

• GIS methodology development for spatially analyzing nonmarket values
• Geographic benefit distribution mapping for forest restoration
• Community-specific value estimation across landscape scales
• Decision-support tool development for restoration prioritization

Current Research Focus

Dr. Mueller’s ongoing research emphasizes:

• Post-pandemic rural economic recovery strategies and policy
• Climate change adaptation economics in southwestern ecosystems
• Indigenous tourism and cultural economics on tribal lands
• Water-forest-economy nexus in arid regions
• Landscape-scale restoration economics and financing

Teaching and Student Development

Course Areas

• Environmental economics and policy analysis
• Nonmarket valuation methods and applications
• Regional economic development
• Natural resource economics
• Statistical methods for economic analysis

Student Research Mentorship

• Graduate student supervision in environmental economics
• Undergraduate research opportunities in valuation studies
• Professional development in economic analysis and policy
• Community engagement training in stakeholder research

Professional Service

Editorial and Review Activities

• Peer reviewer for environmental economics and policy journals
• Grant review panels for NSF and other federal agencies
• Conference session organizer for environmental economics meetings
• Editorial board service for regional economics publications

Policy Advisory Roles

• Chief Economic Advisor - Institutional policy and strategy development
• Forest Service collaboration on restoration economics
• State and local government economic analysis consultation
• Non-profit organization economic impact assessment

Awards and Recognition

• NSF Research Grants - Multiple competitive awards for rural and environmental economics
• USGS Research Grant - $185,000 for forest ecosystem valuation
• Collaborative Research Excellence - Multi-institutional project leadership
• Policy Impact Recognition - Research informing management decisions

Professional Organizations

• Association of Environmental and Resource Economists - Active member
• Agricultural and Applied Economics Association - Research contributions
• Western Regional Science Association - Regional economics expertise
• Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis - Methodological contributions

Research Methods and Expertise

Methodological Innovations

• Choice experiment methodology for complex valuation scenarios
• GIS integration with nonmarket valuation results
• Survey design and implementation for diverse populations
• Econometric analysis of environmental preferences
• Spatial analysis of economic values and benefits

Analytical Capabilities

• Willingness-to-pay estimation using advanced econometric methods
• Benefit-cost analysis for environmental projects
• Regional economic impact modeling and assessment
• Statistical analysis of survey and administrative data
• Policy simulation and scenario analysis

Community Engagement

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Forest Service partnerships for restoration economics
• Tribal community research on cultural tourism economics
• Local government collaboration on economic development
• Irrigator and water user engagement in valuation studies

Public Outreach

• Media interviews on environmental economics and policy
• Community presentations on research findings and implications
• Stakeholder workshops on economic valuation results
• Policy briefings for government and NGO partners

Future Directions

Dr. Mueller continues to advance:

• Climate adaptation economics for southwestern communities
• Rural resilience and sustainability economic analysis
• Indigenous economic development and cultural preservation
• Water-energy-food nexus economic modeling
• Next-generation valuation methods for complex environmental systems

Research Philosophy

Dr. Mueller’s approach emphasizes the integration of rigorous economic analysis with stakeholder engagement and policy relevance. Her work consistently demonstrates how economic valuation can inform environmental management decisions while addressing the needs and preferences of affected communities.

Institutional Impact

As Chief Economic Advisor, Dr. Mueller’s work extends beyond research to:

• Strategic institutional planning and financial sustainability
• Evidence-based policy development for university operations
• Economic impact analysis of institutional decisions
• Stakeholder engagement in university-community partnerships
• Integration of research with institutional mission and values