Bio
Mariel is a PhD researcher at the Institute for Manufacturing in the University of Cambridge, and a Cambridge Trust, Newnham College and Trinity College Henry-Barlow (Honorary) Scholar. Her research focuses on the supply chains of alternative proteins, and she works under the supervision of Dr Mukesh Kumar in the Industrial Resilience Research Group. Mariel holds a Master degree in Engineering for Sustainable Development from the University of Cambridge, where she researched interventions to reduce the impact of meat through a systems thinking approach. Previously, she received an undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Costa Rica, where she developed a strong interest between business productivity and environmental sustainability. With over 6 years of experience in process design and optimisation, supply chain management and data analytics – Mariel is passionate about building a sustainable and resilient global food system.
Research interests
Mariel’s motivation lies in addressing the complex challenge of global food security through the study of novel foods, particularly alternative proteins (APs). She focuses on APs due to their unexploited potential to feed future generations and promote the transition to more sustainable food production systems. APs, derived from plants, algae, animal cells, or by way of fermentation, can offer an alternative to meat, which poses sustainability issues. According to the UKRI, diversifying protein is also crucial for food system resilience. However, despite the emerging AP development area, there are multiple challenges still to address. First, there is a high chance that the supply chains of these new products will inherit the existing challenges of food supply chains. Furthermore, this industry is continuously evolving, demanding advanced data science solutions, especially in the areas of product development and supply chain design. Mariel’s research specifically focuses on the relationship between supply chain resilience and cost within the novel foods industry. It employs a mixed-methods approach and at this stage, she would like to incorporate AI and predictive analyses with system dynamics simulation for advanced national/sector-level supply chain stress-testing analysis.