Dr Rosario Michel-Villarreal

Profile

I am an environmental social scientist interested in the study of sustainable and resilient businesses and supply chains.

Prior to joining the Sustainability Research Institute, I was a Lecturer in the School of Earth and the Environment at the Royal Agricultural University (UK), a Visiting Lecturer at the RAU Joint Institute for Advanced Agri-technology at Qingdao Agricultural University (China), and an Associate Lecturer in the Lincoln International Business School at the University of Lincoln.

With over 10 years of experience in higher education institutions in Mexico and the UK, I am passionate about teaching that involves experiential learning. I have pioneered the use of Challenge-based Learning (CBL) in Operations Management education in the UK, an innovative framework for learning while solving real-world challenges. My work in this area was recognised with the Nigel Slack Teaching Innovation Award in 2020, awarded by the European Operations Management Association. 

I am also a Visiting Lecturer in the Cornwall Business School at Falmouth University, and an Associate Fellow of the Community Resilience and Sustainability Education Lab, at Aston Business School.

Responsibilities

• Sustainable Curriculum Leadership Team

Research interests

My research interests lie at the intersection of operations management, supply chains and sustainability, with a primary focus on driving change towards more sustainable and resilient enterprises and supply chains. I am particularly interested in the role that short food supply chains (SFSCs) can play in food systems sustainability and resilience.

Past research projects have focused on investigating the role that digitalisation can play in the improvement of the logistics and resilience of short food supply chains, with a focus on the Global South and emerging economies. Similarly, I have collaborated with EU partners to identify key leverage points to further develop and scale up existing innovative organic and sustainable food value chains (referring to products, technologies and marketing practices) in order to promote higher resource-efficiency, highlight inefficiencies and specify the reasons for decision-making processes that led to the configuration of the value chains.

Current projects:

I am a Management Committe member in the COST Action FoodWaStop representing members in the UK. Over the next 4 years, FoodWaStop will create a knowledge platform that will promote innovation, deliver guidelines, and favour dialogue with policymakers, to focus their attention on the social and economic implications of food loss and waste.

I am part of the Leadership Team of the Sustainable Curriculum project, which is Principle 4 of the 10 year Climate Plan at the University of Leeds. My role involves co-coordinating introductory and specialist programmes to allow consistency of provision of sustainability and climate change curriculum across the university. ​

Qualifications

• PhD Management, University of Lincoln
• MEng Productivity and Quality, Tecnologico de Monterrey (MEX)
• BSc Industrial Engineering, Tecnologico de Monterrey (MEX)

Professional memberships

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of the Women's Engineering Society

Student education

I teach across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules in the School of Earth and Environment, on topics related to sustainable development, business, environement and corporate social responsibilty, and sustainable food supply chains.

Research groups and institutes

• Business Organisations for Sustainable Societies
• Sustainability Research Institute
• Sustainable Food Systems

Projects

<li><a href="//phd.leeds.ac.uk/project/1685-climate-resilience-in-food-supply-chains">Climate resilience in food supply chains</a></li>