معرفی
Dr. Luiza Toma is a Research Professor at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) within the Rural Economy and Environment School, specializing in the Rural Development & Food Marketing Department. She holds a PhD from KU Leuven. Her research focuses on behavioral economic modeling, food waste reduction, circular economy, and sustainable agricultural practices. She leads projects funded by the Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland, addressing behavioral change in farming, circular economy technologies, and food innovation policies. Toma teaches modules on food systems, food security, and globalization at SRUC and the University of Edinburgh. She supervises PhD students and acts as an external examiner at universities like Newcastle and Barcelona. Her work integrates economic modeling with environmental efficiency and participatory systems dynamics. Key projects include analyzing sea lice management costs and promoting sustainable livestock systems in less favored areas.
Education: PhD in Agriculture & Business Management from KU Leuven (2006).
Research Projects:
- Active: Circular Bioeconomy Research (Zero Waste Scotland), Circular Economy Upscaling (Scottish Government), Food Innovation Policy (Scottish Government).
- Completed: Transition Paths to Sustainable Legume-Based Systems (EU H2020), Low-Input Farming (EU H2020), and Food Waste Prevention (Scottish Government).
Teaching: Leads 'Interrelations in Food Systems' and teaches 'Food Waste & Security', 'Poverty & Food Security', and 'Globalisation & Food Security' at MSc Food Security programs.
Research Interests: Behavioral economics in technology adoption, circular economy, food waste, and environmental efficiency modeling. She employs systems dynamics and participatory approaches to address trade-environment linkages.
Grants & Collaborations: Over 30 projects funded by Scottish Government, EU, and international bodies. Collaborations span institutions like the University of Edinburgh and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
Labs/Teams: Associated with the Biorefining and Advanced Materials Research Centre at SRUC, focusing on sustainable technologies and circular economy solutions.
