Elena Piere is a PhD candidate within the Food Waste Innovation team in the Food Science Department at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Elena’s research is funded by a research grant from the Ministry for the Environment and centers on developing, trialing, and evaluating the impact of a behavior change intervention toolkit – co-designed with industry stakeholders – to enable practical and lasting change in the aged care sector.
Elena has a background in sustainable business. She has worked on food waste and sustainability projects in both academic and industry settings, including conducting waste audits and advising on waste reduction strategies for organisations. Beyond her research, Elena has experience in teaching, research, and governance roles, including serving as a postgraduate representative on the Otago University Net Carbon Zero Governance Board. She is passionate about bridging the gap between research and real-world application, ensuring that sustainability solutions are both evidence-based and actionable.
As we walked to the room where we recorded this episode, Elena and I immediately found ourselves headlong into very interesting chats about aspects of the PhD Life that made me wish we already had microphones in our faces. Which is to say, conversation came easy to us. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
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This episode of The Knowledge Mill was recorded on December 3, 2024 on the campus of the University of Wollongong during the 37th Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management a.k.a. ANZAM.
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