About Fabio Mattos:
I was born and grew up in Brazil. My home state is São Paulo, which is in the southeast side of the country. I attended the University of São Paulo and started working while in college. I graduated with a degree in economics and kept working in the industry. I spent 11 years in the industry, mostly in investment banking and consulting, before considering an academic career. I eventually moved to the U.S. and went to graduate school at the University of Illinois. After completing the Ph.D. program in agricultural economics, I moved to Canada to take a faculty position at the University of Manitoba. After four years there, I moved to Nebraska in 2013 and have been at UNL since then.
What is your position at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln?
I have a faculty position in the Department of Agricultural Economics with a 50-50 split between teaching and research. My focus is primarily in commodity marketing, risk management, and price analysis.
What drew you to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln?
Before moving to Nebraska, I didn’t know much about the state or university. I had heard good things about the university and my department, as well as a few stories about the state and its “good life”. But that was about it. As I was applying for a job here, I started looking for more information and reading more about the state and university, and eventually I came to Lincoln for a campus interview. During the three days that I spent here, I had a chance to see the university, talk to and interact with a lot of people, and see a little bit of Lincoln. I really enjoyed those three days, and was impressed with the people in the university and what I saw in my department. So, it was a combination of the people and career prospects that drew me to UNL.
What aspect of working in an educational setting do you enjoy the most?
I love teaching, learning, doing research and basically everything in academia. But what I enjoy the most is working and interacting with students, be it in the classroom, clubs, advising, or any other activity.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
This is a hard question and I’m afraid I don’t have a good answer. Besides, I prefer to think that my greatest achievements are in the future, not in the past.
What is something that most people don't know about you?
I had a hard time choosing a major in college, and was initially between math and physics. It took me a while to eventually decide that I wanted to study economics (and a while longer to really start enjoying it).
What is your life like outside of work?
I spend my time outside of work mostly between sports, music, books and my daughter’s activities (not necessarily in this order). We are often driving around to take my daughter to practices, games, recitals, etc. I also coach my daughter’s basketball and volleyball teams, so there is always something going on.