The Faculty of Agriculture (FoA), Universitas Padjadjaran (Faperta Unpad), continues to strengthen the research capacity of its students through various international academic development programs. One of these initiatives is the Peningkatan Kualitas Publikasi Ilmiah (PKPI) program, supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology of Indonesia.
Through this program, Alif Andika, a doctoral student in Agricultural Sciences with a specialization in Agribusiness, is undertaking an international collaborative research program from November 2025 to August 2026. The research activities are conducted in collaboration with Dr. Dhanan Sarwo Utomo at Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom, as part of the development of his doctoral dissertation.
The research project is titled “Adaptive Strategies for Circular Food Supply Chains through Soft Systems Methodology, Agent-Based Modelling, and Robust Optimization.” The study addresses the growing issue of food loss and waste (FLW) across food supply chains, which reflects challenges related to coordination among stakeholders, actor behavior, and uncertainty in food system management.
During the PKPI program, the research focuses on developing an Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) simulation to analyze the dynamics of circular food supply chains. The simulation maps interactions among supply chain actors as well as food flows between producer and consumer regions. The research activities include the development of simulation models, documentation of the modelling process, and preparation of datasets that will later be used in the robust optimization stage for designing adaptive food waste management systems.
In addition to the main research activities, the program also provides opportunities for academic exchange and collaboration through several research discussions. One of these discussions explored sustainable logistics research within the project “TransiT: Digital Twinning for Transport Decarbonisation.” Another discussion focused on a research initiative titled “Implementing Circular Supply Chains to Reduce Food Waste in Boarding School Feeding Programs.” This project is funded through the Equity LPDP scheme and involves collaboration with Prof. Benni Tjahjono from Coventry University and Dr. Dhanan Sarwo Utomo from Heriot-Watt University.
This international research activity is expected to provide a more comprehensive understanding of actor behavior and critical points of food loss and waste within food supply chains. Beyond strengthening the doctoral research, the findings are also planned to be developed into scientific articles for submission to reputable international journals.
Through this program, the research is expected to generate data-driven recommendations for improving circular food management strategies, reducing food waste, and strengthening more sustainable food supply chain systems. The initiative also reflects the Faculty of Agriculture Universitas Padjadjaran’s commitment to enhancing student research capacity while expanding international academic collaboration networks.
English 
Indonesian