Optimization of the food distribution process for people in situations of vulnerability and economic and social risk.

• Grant number: 24/05695-1
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: July 02, 2024
• End date: July 15, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Production Engineering - Operational Research
• Principal Investigator: Daniela Renata Cantane
• Grantee: Daniela Renata Cantane
• Visiting researcher: Dylan Jones
• Visiting researcher institution: University of Portsmouth, England
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Prof. Dr. Dylan Jones has been collaborating for a long time on research projects coordinated by Prof. Dr. Daniela Cantane. Currently Prof. Dylan has participated as a collaborator in the Project "Optimization of the food distribution process for people in situations of vulnerability and social and economic risk", coordinated by Profa. Daniela. This project investigates mathematical and computational techniques to assist the process of selecting, organizing and distributing food to populations in situations of vulnerability and social and economic risk. The objective is to obtain mathematical and computational tools that assist decision makers in the health sector in promoting policies to combat hunger, food and nutritional security and social assistance. To develop this proposal, a partnership was signed with the Nutrition research group at UNESP Botucatu and the Botucatu Food Bank. This research has received a lot of visibility and received awards of merit (Josué de Castro - Ed. 2023 and XXXIV CIC UNESP 2022 Awards) in research due to the importance of the topic, applicability to real problems, assistance in combating hunger and due to the effectiveness of the methodologies that have been proposed. Additionally, this includes the participation of undergraduate, master's and doctoral students. Therefore, the project also helps in the training of quality human resources. Professor Dylan's collaboration in this project began 10 months ago with a visit from a doctoral student, supervised by Prof. Daniela, the University of Portsmouth in England to develop part of her thesis on this research topic under the supervision of Prof. Dylan Jones. Furthermore, in November 2023, Prof. Dylan received an undergraduate student for a short internship in this line of research and part of his scientific initiation, a student also supervised by Prof. Daniela. With this, the partnership in this project was consolidated and Prof. Dylan has made great contributions to this research group, both in the development of the project and in the training of undergraduate and postgraduate students. (AU)