Background:

Dr. Denise Eby Konan is the Chair of the Economics Department, Professor of Economics, and Senior Associate to the President on APEC 2011. As the former interim Chancellor (2005-2007) of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, Dr. Konan launched the Year of the Student campaign, the Hawai‘inuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, and the construction of Frear Hall. sustainability and international education. Konan has been a visiting professor at the American Business School of Paris and Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu, China. A world-renowned international trade economist, Konan is an economic advisor to World Bank and various international ministries. Her research tailors numeric and theoretical economic models to regional conditions to simulate alternative scenarios for international trade liberalization, foreign direct investment, intellectual property protection, and regional economic integration. She has worked extensively in the Middle East – North Africa, France, and China. Dr. Konan’s current research agenda involves the economics energy and climate change in Hawai‘i. Dr. Konan is the founding Director of the Center for Sustainable Coastal Tourism at the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program. The Center promotes respect for the culture, environment, and economy of Hawai‘i and other coastal visitor destinations through research, education, and outreach. She is also a Research Fellow in UHERO, where she heads the Energy and Greenhouse Gas Solutions (EGGS) project. She has been a Professor at the UHM since 1993. She received her undergraduate degree from Goshen College and her doctorate from the University of Colorado.

Teaching:

Konan teaches international trade, microeconomics, and the economics of climate change. She actively advises graduate and undergraduate students in directed research. She is a 1997/98 recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Hawaii's College of Social Sciences.

Interest(s):

International economics, energy, environment, sustainability

Honors / Awards:

Excellence in Teaching Award (1998)
Description: This student-nominated award is granted by the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Manoa

SENCER Leadership Fellow (2009)
Description: Fellows are elected by the National Fellowship Board, Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibility, December 2009 to July 2010

Senate Honorable Recognition (2007)
Description: In recognition of service to the State of Hawaii and the advancement of student learning, sustainability, and native Hawaiian education as the Interim Chancellor, the Senate of the State of Hawaii conferred Honorable Recognition for Dedicated Service