Rose Hopkins joined the Learning & Capacity Strengthing Program at IFPRI in 2007 as a Senior Research Assistant. Immediately prior to joining IFPRI, she completed an M.S. in agricultural economics at Michigan State University where her focus was on public and private regulation of the food retail sector. Her professional background is comprised of developing technical training and capacity building activites with the USAID project Partnership for Food Industry Development (Fruits & Vegetables) and the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Office of International Cooperation and Development, and work as as research assistant with the Inter-American Development Bank, Rural Development Unit. Her focus has concentrated on training and capacity building particularly in the areas of value chain management, agricultural biotechnology, and public/private regulation. Rose also served as a Small Business Peace Corps volunteer in rural Paraguay from 1997-1999. She has a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of North Dakota.