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Dr. Pratheesh Omana Sudhakaran

  • Associate Professor - Department of Agricultural Sciences
Portrait of Dr. Pratheesh Omana Sudhakaran

Biography and education

Ph. D., Environment and Natural Resource Economics, University of Rhode Island
M.S., Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
B.S., Fisheries Science, Kerala Agricultural University

Pratheesh Sudhakaran is an applied economist with more than 12 years of experience in academic and industry in the fields of fisheries, aquaculture, natural resources and agriculture. Upon completing his Ph.D., Pratheesh started his teaching career in different educational institutions such as Tarrant County Community College. After working for a year, he joined Texas State University. He began his career in the economics of aquaculture production. During his Ph.D. he worked on different research projects on consumer behavior on food and natural resource management issues. His Ph.D. dissertation was selected as the Best Dissertation by the International Association of Aquaculture Economist (IAAEM) in 2016. One of the studies he conducted for his dissertation was used as a baseline economic study in framing shellfish management plan for the state of Rhode Island.

Some of the Dr. Sudhakaran’s current research interests include aquaculture and fisheries economics, food safety economics, agricultural economics, natural resource economics and experimental economics. He is involved in national and international research. He is currently involved in two research project determining the economics of safe food in Texas and Bangladesh. He is also involved in two research projects looking at the economics of regenerative agriculture.

Teaching Interests

Research Interests

  • Qasem, Apan Muhammad (Principal), Royal, Cindy L (Co-Principal), Hewitt, Barbara A (Co-Principal), Dolezel, Diane M (Supporting), Omana Sudhakaran, Pratheesh O (Supporting), Lollar, Jonathan Ernest (Supporting), Booth, Chad (Co-Principal), Roundtree, Aimee Kendall (Supporting), Ekin, Tahir (Supporting), Cordero, Rafael A (Supporting), Lopez, Omar S (Supporting), Ashford-Hanserd, Shetay Nicole (Co-Principal), Sriraman, Vedaraman (Co-Principal), Forsythe, Michelle Elizabeth (Co-Principal), Mendez, Francis A (Supporting). STEM-CLEAR: Creating Contextualized Learning Pathways across Academic and Cultural Boundaries, National Science Foundation, Federal, $2646529. (Submitted: August 8, 2023, Funded: June 1, 2024 - June 2029). Grant.
  • Morrish, Douglas, Pierdolla, Eryn Linnae, Wagner, Nicole, Omana Sudhakaran, Pratheesh. Research Through Agriculture Internships, Scholarships, and Experiential Learning (RAISE), USDA NIFA, Federal, $5000000. (Submitted: December 2022, Funded: June 2023 - June 1, 2028). Grant.
  • Mix, Kenneth D (Principal), Omana Sudhakaran, Pratheesh O (Co-Principal). Small Producer Initiative's Agricultural Mentoring Program, USDA, Federal, $400000. (Funded: October 2020 - October 2023). Grant.
  • Dey, Madan Mohan (Principal), Omana Sudhakaran, Pratheesh O (Co-Principal), Surathkal, Prasanna (Co-Principal), Rahman, Mohammad Saidur (Co-Principal), Khan, Md.Akhtaruzzman (Co-Principal), Nazir, KHM Nazmul Hussain (Co-Principal), Lutfa, Samina (Co-Principal), Alim, Md. Abdul (Co-Principal). Enhancing Food Safety in Fish and Chicken Value Chains of Bangladesh, USAID, Federal, $699971. (Submitted: July 17, 2020, Funded: October 1, 2020 - Present). Grant.
  • Omana Sudhakaran, Pratheesh O (Principal), Wagner, Nicole Catherine (Co-Principal). Economic Analysis of Organic Hydroponic System, Research Enhancement Program, Texas State University, $16000. (Funded: January 1, 2020 - Present). Grant.
View all grants
  • Surathkal, P., Omana Sudhakaran, P. O., & Dey, M. M. (2025). Price Interactions between Capture Fisheries and Aquaculture: Evidence from India. Aquaculture Economics and Management. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/13657305.2024.2449398
  • Damodharan Nair, D., Mojjada, S., Omana Sudhakaran, P. O., Sundaram Perumal, S. L., Menon, M., George, G., … Vishwambharan, V. (2024). Implications of feed and seed costs in Asian seabass mariculture in the face of climate change. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1352131
  • Dey, M. M., Rahman, M. S., Dewan, Md. F., Omana Sudhakaran, P. O., Deb, U., & Khan, Md. A. (2024). Willingness to Pay for Safer Fish: Evidence from an experimental auction in Bangladesh. Aquaculture Economics and Management, 28(3), 460 to 490. https://doi.org/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13657305.2024.2353212
  • Mesquita, C. S., Richardson, C. R., Kerth, C. R., Sudhakaran, P. O., & Villanueva, A. K. (2022). Electrical Conductivity, Color, and Tenderness Values of Fresh and/or Cooked Beef. J. Animal Science, 100(Suppl. 3), 103–103.
  • Garlock, T., Asche, F., Dey, M. M., Anderson, J., Eggert, H., Anderson, T., … Tibesigwa, B. (2024). Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability in Aquaculture. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49556-8
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Best Dissertation Award, International Association of Aquaculture Economists. 2016
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Honorary Mention, MS Thesis Award, International Association of Aquaculture Economists. 2011
  1. Member

    Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Field of Study Advisory Committee for Agribusiness and Management

  2. Member

    Departmental Self Evaluation Committee

  3. Graduate Advisor

    MS in Integrated Agricultural Sciences, Department of Agricultural Sciences

  4. Chair

    Graduate Thesis Committee

  5. Editor

    Special Issue Aquaculture Economics and Managemen

  6. Reviewer / Referee

    Aquaculture

  7. View all activities