June 3, 2026

The NERCRD team is pleased to welcome Dr. Daniel Centuriao, who joined the Center as a postdoctoral scholar after receiving his doctoral degree in economics from West Virginia University (WVU) in May.

While completing his doctoral studies, Daniel also served as a graduate research assistant at the WVU Regional Research Institute, where he contributed to several applied regional economics projects. His work included the analysis of tourism flows using cell phone tracking data and the assessment of the economic impacts of tourism events on county economies, which supported the development of a web portal with event reports. He also contributed to reports analyzing the local economic impact of WVU grant expenditures and the economic implications of New York City’s climate resilience plan, the latter of which was later developed into a paper published in Papers in Regional Science. Earlier in his graduate training, Daniel also worked as a graduate research assistant at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at WVU, where he assisted with data preparation for the West Virginia Economic Outlook.

Daniel’s research emphasizes urban, regional, and public economics, with a focus on transportation systems, spatial policy evaluation, infrastructure investments, regional connectivity, climate resilience. He is particularly interested in addressing contemporary economic and policy issues with the potential to inform and improve public decision making. At NERCRD, Daniel will contribute his expertise to several research efforts, including agricultural policy, local conditions and farm survival, determinants of local development, innovation and resilience, and the connections among agricultural production, nutrition, and population health.

He completed his master’s degree in economics and a certificate in university teaching at WVU. He has also taught several economics courses at WVU. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil, where he is originally from. Before beginning his doctoral studies, Daniel worked in both the private and public sectors in Brazil, primarily in data analysis and in the design and evaluation of regional economic policies, especially those focused on small businesses. He also worked as an adjunct professor at universities in Brazil.

Daniel has a strong personal connection to rural communities. He grew up on a farm, were his family still lives in Brazil. Reflecting on this background, he explains, “I experienced firsthand the challenges that small farmers and ranchers face in their daily lives by observing my own family. I decided to study these problems to help more than just my family. For this reason, joining NERCRD is both an honor and a personal mission. I hope to contribute to research that helps identify challenges and support policy.”

In his spare time, Daniel enjoys fishing, is learning how to fly fish, and likes to go camping. Learn more about Daniel’s work on his website, or connect with him on LinkedIn.