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Researcher of the week – Zuhara Chavez

Published Jun 02, 2020

Once a week a researcher presents themselves based on four generic questions related to Industrial Transformation. This weeks researcher is Zuhara Chavez, Ph.D. Postdoc in Production Management.

Picture of Zuharas face.

Zuhara Chavez, Ph.D.

Postdoc in Production Management

KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Department of Sustainable Production Development

School of Industrial Engineering and Management

Why is the industry's transformation to meet climate change in a competitive manner important to you?

I think competitive is the keyword, this is important to me because we need to make sure we create a “sustainable” change in order to ensure we do not go back to a crisis stage later on. Right now action is required and in most cases mandatory but If I think how I would like the world to function, I’d like that the norm is behaviours that ensure climate stability and I think we can only get to that point by increasing competences both in society and in Industry.

How are you contributing to the transformation?

Professionally, my research is heavily focused on resource-efficient operations, I want to make sure that I create knowledge that is transferable and practical for Industry, on the other hand personally I think of learning and implementing ways of living with less consumption of industrialized goods. I try to be more mindful of my purchases and to only get things that add value to my life, a lean approach. I try to spread the word with my family and friends about mindful living. Setting an example can inspire others to integrate little changes in their lives that make a cumulative difference.

What do you hope to have achieved with your research in 10 years?

As cliché as it sounds, I hope I have made an impact. I am optimistic that by then I’ve had triggered a change that has a positive impact that remains, that would certainly make me happy because it will also mean that I will be inspired and on a good track to continue doing research that supports the industry.

What do you wish KTH to contribute with in regard to competitive industry transformation?

I think more emphasis could be put into spreading knowledge in a practical way, which means preparing both students and researchers on how to disseminate knowledge in more effective ways and enabling the channels to do so. I wish the relation industry-academy keeps at the top of priorities, so we prioritize research that is needed rather than trendy or nice to have.

About Researcher of the week

Any questions about Researcher of the week? Please email to: researchers-indtrf@kth.se.

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Belongs to: Research
Last changed: Jun 02, 2020