Robert B. Nielsen, Ph.D.
Professor Nielsen is a family economist who investigates the economic well-being of people who experience poverty, material hardships such as food insecurity and housing cost burden, the role insurance plays in family financial wellness, and the research methods by which researchers and policymakers collect and assess these constructs. His research appears in the field’s leading journals, including the Journal of Consumer Affairs, Journal of Family Issues, Review of Economics of the Household, Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Social Indicators Research, and the Journal of Poverty.
Prof. Nielsen was associate editor of the Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal from 2009-2018 and has been a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Consumer Affairs since 2006. His contributions to the profession were recognized with the Emerging Scholar Award from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Mid-Career Award from the American Council on Consumer Interests. Iowa State University’s College of Human Sciences recognized him with an Alumni Achievement Award in 2018, an honor that he describes as especially meaningful given the long tradition of excellence in Human Sciences at his alma mater. Depending on administrative duties, Prof. Nielsen’s teaching responsibilities include CSM 303: Consumer Decisions, CSM 400/500: Personal Insurance Planning, CSM 517: Financial Planning Foundations, CSM 518: Statistics Foundations for Consumer Sciences, and CSM 519: Consumer Economics Foundations.
Prof. Nielsen earned dual B.S. degrees in Political Science and Consumer Studies and Family Economics at the University of Utah, an M.S. in Family Ecology at the University of Utah, and a Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies (Family Policy major; Economics minor) at Iowa State University. He also served two years as a postdoctoral research fellow and economic statistician in the Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division of the U.S. Census Bureau, which included service in the Labor Force and Transfer Program Statistics Branch and the Poverty and Health Statistics Branch.