Dr. Zeynep Hansen is the Chair and a Professor of Economics at the College of Business and Economics (COBE). Previously she was the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Scholarship for COBE. She joined Boise State University faculty in 2007 as an associate professor, was promoted to professor in 2010 and served as chair of the Department of Economics from August 2013 – May 2017. Previously, she served on the faculty of Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. She received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Arizona and is a graduate of Boise State University.

Hansen is a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Development of the American Economy Group. She has published articles in journals such as the Journal of Political Economy, Journal of Law and Economics, Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, and Journal of Economic History. Most of her research focuses on agricultural policy in the development of the American economy. Her other research interests are in the health policy, strategic biotechnology-pharmaceutical alliances, and education economics. Her current research focuses on the water infrastructure and historical water use in the western United States. She teaches courses in Health Economics, History of Economic Thought and the U.S. Economic History.