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Miranda Mirosa image 1x 2022Head of Department

Professor

Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology (FNZIFST)

Honorary Professor, International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China

Member of the Institute of Directors (MInstD)

Named in Aotearoa New Zealand's TOP 50 most influential & inspiring women in food & drink 2024 - Cuisine Magazine - From New Zealand to the World

Ph.D. (Otago), BCom Hons (Otago), BA (Otago), Certificate in International Business (Otaru, Japan)


Contact

Tel +64 2 278 7953
Email miranda.mirosa@otago.ac.nz
Location Archway West G.08

About

Miranda’s background is in agri-food marketing and consumer behaviour. She leads a Sustainable Food Systems Behavioural Research Group whose mission is catalysing change for a more sustainable food future. She conducts fundamental and translational behavioural research focused on improving people and planetary health. Miranda's research provides credible evidence for decision-makers in New Zealand's food industry, the waste sector, government and civil society organisations. She has experience working with and advising a wide range of primary sector-related government agencies.

Miranda is the Director of the University of Otago Food Waste Innovation Research Theme which measures food waste, develops reduction strategies, applies innovative technology, and works to modify producer and consumer behaviour. As New Zealand's leading provider of food waste-related research, this group of interdisciplinary researchers harnesses the best scientific expertise at the University and nationwide to provide effective solutions to food waste problems. The group has established a commercially focused 'Upcycled Food Lab', that works with the food industry on product development and other related consultancies.

Miranda is unquestionably passionate in her determination to use her role as a teacher to infect her students with the same passion to learn, and to make a difference in the world. She leads the University of Otago's work on the Global Citizenship Programme, an initiative to improve the Matariki Universities' capacity to be leading institutions in understanding citizenship and community engagement.

Miranda is current with the latest governance thinking, practices, and knowledge through formal governance professional development and training as an active member of the NZ Institute of Directors. Other personal key competencies include comprehending and articulating the big picture, maintaining a strategic outlook and awareness of market dynamics, and food industry-specific knowledge. Key behavioural attributes include being a frank and open communicator, loyal to the interests of the entity involved, and reliable, committed, and energetic.

Teaching

Course Co-ordinator

Contributor to

Research

Research interests

Miranda's behavioural research engages knowledge from fields such as marketing and psychology. She utilises a range of quantitative and qualitative methods such as: surveys and questionnaires, panels, systematic reviews, behaviour change experiments (in-field and lab based), projective techniques, observations, interviews, focus groups, ethnographic research, and Q methodology. Miranda specialises in conducting behavioural research in the Asia-Pacific region. Her strong network of Asia-Pacific-based research affiliates means that she can conduct in-market behavioural research in the national language. She also has expansive networks in the food industry (both NZ and global, particularly in Asia).

Miranda's projects, which provide insights and interventions for improved food system sustainability, embody many types of engagement outside of academia. In recognition of her proactive engagement with key external bodies, Miranda was the 2018 winner of the 'Outstanding Community Engagement Award', Division of Sciences, University of Otago. Miranda welcomes commercial research proposals and partnerships. She can help your organisation collect and apply insights from behavioural sciences to tackle a wide range of food systems challenges.

Miranda can help you with:

  • Trend-spotting
  • Deep-dives and report writing
  • Collecting insights to understand peoples' behaviours
  • Creating evidence-based solutions to change peoples' behaviours (i.e. identify the barriers to achieving a desired activity, design a behavior change intervention or strategy to overcome the barriers, pilot the interventions/strategies before broad implementation)
  • Strategic advising on food system sustainability issues
  • Keynote talks, workshops and facilitation

Research projects and activities

Miranda's research falls into the following four key food sustainability areas:

Reducing food waste

Ensuring food safety and security

Improving food packaging and labelling

  • Understanding the importance of smart packaging for consumer confidence, food safety and an improved supply chain
  • Challenges and opportunities for the New Zealand food industry associated with the use of recycled non-permanent materials (thermoplastics, paper and board)
  • Nutrition labelling research

Increasing consumption of plant-based foods

Postgraduate supervision (current)

  • Post Doc – Erin Young  (primary supervisor)
  • PhD, Jessica O'Connor - Food loss and waste at the production end of the food supply chain in New Zealand. AgResearch Towards a Circular Bioeconomy Scholarship (primary supervisor)
  • PhD, Elena Piere – Food waste in the aged care sector. MfE Scholarship (primary supervisor)
  • PhD, Ke Wang – Food safety culture behaviour change. UO Scholarship (co-supervisor)
  • MSc, Briar Mills – Food waste in university settings (co-supervisor)
  • MSc, Zahrah Hatraby – Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme (co-supervisor)

Publications

Lim, N., Steien, D., McKerchar, C., Mirosa, M., Tan-Smith, C., & Tuhiwai Smith, L. (2024, November). Child nutrition. Panel discussion at the Paediatric Society of New Zealand Te Kāhui Mātai Arotamariki o Aotearoa (PSNZ) 75th Annual Meeting, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Mirosa, M. (2024, August). Beyond the textbook: A quest for a future where food is valued, not wasted. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Inaugural Professorial Lecture]. Other Research Output

Wang, K., Cong, L., Mirosa, M., Bai, L., Hou, Y., & Bremer, P. (2024). Impact of COVID-19 on Chinese urban consumers’ food safety knowledge and behavior: A comparative study between pre and post pandemic eras. Food Research International, 194, 114905. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2024.114905 Journal - Research Article

Manhire, J., Rosin, C., Campbell, H., Burton, R., Mittenzwei, K., Mirosa, M., … Barber, S., … Sinclair Thompson, A., & Paehua, B. (2024). Protein Futures: Future Scenarios for Land-Use in Aotearoa New Zealand: Synthesis Report. (pp. 1-74). Retrieved from https://ourlandandwater.nz/outputs/protein-futures-future-scenarios-for-land-use-in-aotearoa-nz-report/ Working Paper; Discussion Paper; Technical Report

Zou, S., Bremer, P., & Mirosa, M. (2024). Chinese consumers’ lived experiences of flexitarianism. British Food Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1108/BFJ-08-2023-0735 Journal - Research Article

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