Lead Researchers

PhD-led research for economic, ecological, and infrastructure decisions.

Western Economics LLC is led by researchers who combine applied economic analysis, ecological science, and practical experience with resource governance. That background helps connect technical methods to the realities of public decision-making, infrastructure planning, and resource management.

Lead Researcher

Christopher Goemans, PhD

PhD economist with 22 years of experience

Christopher Goemans brings more than two decades of experience in resource, environmental, and applied economics. His work supports impact analysis, cost-benefit analysis, utilities questions, and policy decisions where economic evidence must be clear, defensible, and useful.

Chris's research has focused on the allocation and management of scarce resources, especially water, including water transfers, drought-period demand management, climate variability, water markets, and how residential customers respond to prices, restrictions, and information.

Chris has also served on a water board, giving him firsthand perspective on governance, public process, infrastructure priorities, and the practical constraints that shape water-resource decisions.

Lead Researcher

Alexander Maas, PhD

PhD economist with 11 years of experience

Alexander Maas has 11 years of experience applying economic methods to resource, environmental, utility, and policy questions. His work emphasizes practical analysis, careful interpretation, and communication that helps clients understand options, impacts, and tradeoffs.

Alex's published work has addressed water scarcity, residential water demand and conservation, water-rights institutions, ecosystem-service valuation, common-pool resource risk, agricultural adaptation, and the economics of resource and environmental policy.

Alex has worked on projects for AgWest, True Oil, The Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, Fort Collins Utilities, and other public, private, and nonprofit organizations.

Alex has served on a water board as well, bringing direct experience with water governance, stakeholder considerations, and the operational context behind public resource decisions.

Ecological Lead

Laurel Lynch, PhD

PhD ecologist specializing in soil and water systems

Laurel Lynch brings ecological depth to projects where economic decisions intersect with watershed function, soil health, ecosystem resilience, and environmental restoration. Her work helps connect resource policy and valuation questions to the ecological processes that determine long-term outcomes.

Laurel's research spans ecosystem ecology, biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, disturbance ecology, soil carbon, climate solutions, and applied environmental science. Her work examines how energy, water, carbon, and nutrients move through ecosystems, and how management or disturbance can reshape biological function across scales.

Infrastructure & Public Works Lead

Tyler Palmer, MPA

Municipal public works leader with 23 years of experience

Tyler Palmer brings more than two decades of local government and public works leadership to projects involving municipal services, infrastructure planning, operations, and community-facing decision-making. His experience helps connect technical analysis to the realities of implementation, public accountability, budgets, and long-term service delivery.

Tyler has led cross-functional public works departments spanning water production and distribution, wastewater treatment and reuse, streets, stormwater, environmental services, fleet, parks, facilities, and sanitation. His work emphasizes strategic planning, operational excellence, sustainability, efficiency improvements, and responsible stewardship of public resources.

Tyler's professional service includes leadership with APWA committees, AWWA's Blue Mountain Sub-Section, the Association of Idaho Public Works Professionals, the Inland Northwest Streets Maintenance CO-OP, and the Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee.

Civil Engineering Lead

Jordan Rivers, PhD

Placeholder civil engineer

Jordan Rivers is a placeholder profile for civil engineering expertise. This role can represent support for infrastructure planning, water systems, hydrology, hydraulic analysis, capital improvements, and engineering review connected to resource and utility decisions.

Replace this profile with the actual civil engineering lead's name, credentials, project history, and areas of specialization when those details are ready.

Shared Perspective

Research shaped by academic publication, applied projects, and public service.

Together, the Western Economics team brings technical economics, ecological science, municipal infrastructure leadership, engineering perspective, utility and resource experience, and board-level water governance insight to projects involving impacts, benefits, costs, infrastructure, regulation, restoration, and environmental policy. Their work spans residential and commercial water demand, conservation policy, climate adaptation, ecosystem services, agricultural production, soil health, water markets, public works operations, and integrated watershed planning.