Distinguished Professor Diane Dupont has been moving the needle on how economists study human behaviour for more than 30 years.

The environmental economist and internationally known expert in the management and valuation of water joined Brock’s Department of Economics in 1990 — and she’ll soon discuss her journey at the University’s next Women in Leadership event.

Held Thursday, Nov. 14, the talk will cover Dupont’s experience in taking chances to change minds over an illustrious career in the field.

After joining Brock, Dupont helped to found Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) and was a key collaborator in the Water Economics, Policy and Governance Network (WEPGN), serving as its Scientific Director from 2016 to 2020.

Her early work on non-market valuation – determining values of goods and services that are not bought and sold in a market – put her at the forefront of a movement encouraging economists to consider the complexities of individual circumstances when making predictions. Whereas traditionally, a generalized model human called ‘homo economicus’ was the basis of economic analysis, Dupont found important ways to introduce intersectionality into research to get more specific and useful results.

Her presentation, “Moving beyond ‘homo economicus’: bringing heterogeneity to economics,” will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Microsoft Teams.

Details on this and other upcoming Women in Leadership sessions, including dates, descriptions and login information are available on the WIL website. Members of the Brock community can use their Campus ID to access recordings of past sessions.

Women in Leadership is committed to supporting and advancing persons who identify as women to achieve and succeed in leadership. All are welcome. Individuals can join the WIL channel on Microsoft Teams or contact Jeannie Mackintosh to be added to the WIL email distribution list.