Exploring Urban Food and Freight Systems: Access, Collaboration, and Mathematical Models
MIE Department Seminar
November 4, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM America/Chicago
Presenter: Sofia Perez-Guzman, PhD, Georgia Tech
Location: ERF 1043
Abstract: This talk explores ongoing research initiatives focused on enhancing urban food systems through improved freight transportation solutions. The research highlights the disconnect between food supply and demand, as well as disparities in food infrastructure, which limit access to fresh food in many urban areas.
By emphasizing freight transportation and mathematical modeling, the discussion will cover key topics, including the design of urban food networks to assess how infrastructure affects food accessibility, the role of access interventions in addressing food under-service in urban settings, and the conditions that foster effective horizontal collaboration among small food retailers.
Ultimately, these efforts aim to create more equitable and sustainable food systems in urban environments, ensuring that all residents have reliable access to nutritious food.
Speaker Bio: Sofía Pérez-Guzmán is an assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering with a courtesy appointment in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in transportation engineering and M.S. in economics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.S. in industrial engineering from Universidad del Valle (in Colombia). Her research advances freight transportation and supply chain systems through a human-centered lens, with a focus on urban freight, emergency logistics, and food distribution networks. She integrates optimization, simulation, and behavioral modeling to inform logistics interventions that address accessibility, sustainability, and operational resilience. Her current research projects, supported by the National Science Foundation, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the University Transportation Center system, and industry partners, relate to enhancing disaster relief distribution operations using behavior-driven decision-making support tools, improving food accessibility and sustainability through freight transportation solutions, and advancing urban and regional freight transportation using freight data, vehicle technology, and policy interventions. Her doctoral dissertation received the 2023 Elwood S. Buffa Doctoral Dissertation Award for advancing the field of disaster relief logistics modeling.
Date posted
Oct 13, 2025
Date updated
Oct 13, 2025