On the 31st of May, Ivanka Puigdueta Bartolomé defended her PhD on Strategies for climate change mitigation and environmental sustainability through changes in food behaviour increasing the adoption of plant-rich diets based on organic and local food products. Her PhD touches upon many aspects of the COCOREADO project, such as short supply chains and the indirect and direct impact of urban farming. Ivanka implemented several methods and approaches in her research and even developed an online tool for consumers. For this purpose, she cooperated with a research team of Aarhus University, in Denmark.
Promotors of the PhD theses were Ana Iglesias Picazo (professor at the University of Madrid), Elena López Gunn (Founder and Director ICATALIST) and Dionisio Ortiz Miranda (professor at Universitat Politècnica de València).
The jury consisted of Guillermo Palau (professor at UPV), Francisco Heras Hernández (officer at Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico) and Tessa Avermaete (KU Leuven, project manager of the COCOREADO project).
Ivanka has the ambition to further explore the development and potential of the mobile application which is tested in the framework of her PhD. Once the mobile application, called FooDTURAMA, is launched, it will be interesting to analyse its effectiveness in supporting individuals in the adoption of sustainable food behaviours, as well as the effect of its different features on users’ attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and other food consumption determinants.
Every institute has its habits in celebrating a new doctor. Ivanka’s doctoral degree was celebrated in a traditional restaurant, serving a wonderful paella made with rice from the Valencia region and local wine.
Tessa Avermaete – KU LEUVEN