Nicholas Magnan is an associate professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at Colorado State University (CSU), and a co-editor for the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. Prior to joining CSU, he was at the University of Georgia, where he is an adjunct professor, and the International Food Policy Research Institute.

His research focuses on improving the livelihoods of the rural poor in developing countries. This includes studying technology adoption, market access, anti-poverty programs, gender and intra-household decision-making, and behavior under risk. He has worked on or is currently working on projects in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, Tanzania, and the US.

He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in production economics.