The Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln will host the distinguished Filley-Garey Lecture on Friday, April 10, 3 to 4 p.m. CT in Hardin Hall Auditorium 107.
This year’s featured speaker is Dr. Madhu Khanna, ACES Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, presenting her lecture “Circular Bioeconomy Systems: A Paradigm for Sustainability or a Conundrum.” Khanna also serves as the Alvin H. Baum Family Chair and Director of the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment.
Khanna is a globally recognized leader in agricultural, energy and environmental economics. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and has authored more than 180 peer-reviewed publications. Her extensive service includes a decade on the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, leadership roles with the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (including serving as president), and board service with multiple international organizations. She is a fellow of both AAEA and the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists.
The lecture focuses on transforming today’s economic system from a linear “take-make-waste” model to a circular bioeconomy — focused on reducing, recycling, recovering, reusing and regenerating resources — has emerged as a critical strategy for meeting global food and fuel demands sustainably. While this transition is widely viewed as essential, Khanna emphasizes the need to move beyond purely technological solutions. Her lecture will explore how economic frameworks can help balance the costs, benefits, and broader environmental and societal impacts of circular systems. She will also discuss the mechanisms sustaining the current linear economy, potential pathways toward a circular bioeconomy, and the policy decisions required in a decentralized market system.
The Filley-Garey Lecture is a longstanding tradition that brings leading scholars to campus to engage with students, faculty, and the public on pressing issues in agricultural and environmental economics.
This event is free and open to the public.
For more information, please contact the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
