Where and how did you grow up?

I was born on May 1, 1961 in Carlos Casares, Argentina. My father was a farmer, so I lived with my parents and my two sisters on the farm until 1968. In those early years, I had to play alone or with my sisters because there were no other kids around. My sisters are older and liked to play teacher, so I had no choice but to play their student. Although unintended, those games had lasting effects because I learned how to read and write before attending school, and both of my sisters ended up becoming real-life teachers.

The primary school where I attended first grade was in the middle of nowhere and very small. The whole school had only one teacher and six students, and the quality was not very good. Luckily, my parents realized that fact soon after I finished first grade, and we moved to the nearby town of Carlos Casares (pop. 12,000) in search of a better school.

Where did you go to college and what did you study?

After high school I wanted to study agronomy, but the nearest university was 200 miles away from home. I decided to study at the Universidad de Buenos Aires because I thought that was the only chance I would ever have to experience life in a mega-city. For the first year I missed my hometown badly and could find nothing nice about living in a huge city. With time I began to appreciate the opportunities for intellectual development that Buenos Aires had to offer.

When did you get interested in economics?

After taking farm management my senior year, I was offered a research/teaching assistantship for that course. I was delighted to accept the assistantship, and I became acquainted with a group of professors who encouraged me to seek higher education. Among them was Prof. Regunaga, my thesis advisor.

At that time Prof. Regunaga was also Director of Economic Studies at the Argentine Grain Board (he later became Argentina's Secretary of Agriculture). My undergraduate thesis was about the Buenos Aires futures market, and apparently Prof. Regunaga liked it, because he invited me to work at the Grain Board as a commodity analyst. I said a big YES I liked the idea of studying commodity markets, and up until that time had only thought of agriculture from the production side. And in Argentina there were almost no jobs for agronomists. This opportunity led me to the awareness that economics was what I wanted to study.

Early in 1986 I received the news that Iowa State University was offering me an assistantship while working towards an M.Sc. degree. I arrived in Ames in August, 1986. Things went well with my studies, and after the first semester I was offered the option to continue the assistantship for a Ph.D. I accepted the assistantship with the condition that I could go back to Argentina for one year after finishing my M.Sc. degree. Things went as planned and in August, 1988 I returned to Argentina to work again for the Grain Board and the University of Buenos Aires. I finished my PhD in 1991, and was extremely happy to join the faculty in Department of Economics in the Fall of 1993.

What is the focus of your work?

My research program has involved both theoretical and applied topics. A large amount of my work has involved research on financial markets, risk management, and the impact of intellectual property protection on crop improvements. For example, I have analyzed the welfare impact of introducing derivative markets, I have developed models to price commodity derivatives (e.g., futures and options), and I have studied how alternative policies aimed at protecting intellectual property affect the development of new plant varieties.

Why do you feel study abroad opportunities are so important?

Going abroad to study has changed my life in so many ways, and if I hadn't I wouldn't be at ISU today. My philosophy is that the more you know about the world the better choices you can make, and when you expand your horizons to see the different ways that people live you can see so many other possibilities.

I had a very special sabbatical year from 2000 to 2001, when I worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Rome. I had never lived in an old city with so much history and it was an eye opening experience. It was also interesting to work in an environment different than academia, and we were geared toward issues of development and alleviating world hunger.

I try to get students involved internationally in order to have these kinds of experiences. I've often had seniors who go abroad the first time tell me that they wish they hadn't waited so long. I really encourage everyone to study abroad early in their academic career.

Why should students consider studying economics?

I think you should study what you enjoy. But in terms of economics, it’s really a valuable tool that gives you insight into how people behave, and also helps you to make good decisions. Economics has made me more disciplined in my own life, and it helps me to think about the different implications that come from the decisions I make. I even use economics when I make rules for my teenagers at home, because I can plan out what the potential outcome may be! Economics really informs all of my decisions.

What would you like to share about your family life?

My wife’s name is Marta, and she was born and raised in my hometown. We truly enjoy our life here in Ames. We feel that it is almost an ideal place to live and grow. In fact, we feel so strongly about it that we decided to start our family here: Tomas, our first baby was born on February 26, 1996, and Sofia, his sister, was born on May 25, 1998 (by the way, May 25 is Argentina's national holiday). My objective opinion, as well as Marta's, is that Tomas and Sofia are the most well-behaved, lovely, and beautiful children in the world (not that we are their parents!!!).