Biplab is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University at Buffalo.   His research interests involve the application of operations research (OR) and systems engineering techniques to solve problems encountered by industry and global health systems.  Prior to joining the Food Lab, Biplab earned a Diploma in Business Management and Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from the Symbiosis International University in Pune, India.  He later earned his Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University at Buffalo.  Biplab is a graduate research assistance at the Community for Global Health Equity (CGHE).  Through his work at the CGHE, Biplab has collaborated with colleagues from Engineering & Applied Sciences and Epidemiology & Environmental Health to address healthy inequities in pharmaceutical supply chains in low-resource countries.  He has also worked in the Western New York area to increase health literacy among the Karen refugee population.  In the Food Lab, Biplab plans to develop a better understanding of challenges in food systems.  More information on Biplab can be found on his website, biplabbhattacharya.com

Dr. Wendy Mendes is a scholar-practitioner specializing in the social and health dimensions of urban planning, policy, and local governance. She holds a PhD in Geography from Simon Fraser University (Canada), and was awarded a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Toronto’s Centre for Urban Health Initiatives. Her academic work draws from over 17 years of applied experience as a municipal social planner and social policy consultant on topics including sustainable food systems, healthy cities, social infrastructure, and social innovation.

As one of the first municipal food systems planners in North America, Dr. Mendes provided strategic leadership over the City of Vancouver’s extensive sustainable food systems portfolio for more than a decade. This included facilitating the formation of The City of Vancouver’s first Food Policy Council, overseeing the Greenest City Action Plan Local Food Goal Area, and leading the co-creation of the City of Vancouver’s award-winning Food Strategy.

Select publications

Mendes, W. & Sonnino, R. (2018). Urban food governance in the global north. In T. Marsden (Ed.). Handbook of Nature. London: SAGE. pp. 543-560.

Mendes, W. (2016). Urban Food Systems and Governance. Second Edition. In M. Koc, J. Sumner and A. R. Winson (Eds.). Critical Perspectives in Food Studies. Don Mills ON: Oxford University Press.

Mansfield, B. & Mendes, W. (2013). Municipal food strategies and integrated approaches to urban agriculture: Exploring three cases from the global north, International Planning Studies. 18 (1): 37 – 60.

Mendes, W., Nasr, J., with Beatley, T., Born, B., Bouris, K., Caton, Campbell, M., Kaufman, J., Lynch, B., Pothukuchi, K., & Wekerle, G. (2011). Preparing future food system planning professionals and scholars: Reflections on teaching experiences. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 2 (1): 15 – 52.

Mendes, W. (2008). Implementing social and environmental policies in cities: The case of food policy in Vancouver, Canada. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 32 (4): 942 – 967.

Mendes, W. (2007). Negotiating a place for ‘sustainability’ policies in municipal planning and governance: The role of scalar discourses and practices. Space & Polity, 11 (1): 95 – 119.

Thaint is a junior at Hutchinson Central Technical High School. Thaint was recruited to the Food Lab through a partnership with the Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP). Thaint has worked  as a mobile market specialist at MAP for three+ years and has been in the Food Lab for seven+ months.

In the Food Lab, Thaint works on a project focused on the food experiences of refugees in Buffalo, a project called Dealing with Disparities in Food Access among Refugees (DDFAR).

Thaint also makes connections between her work with MAP and the Food Lab. Most recently, she led a photo contest for MAP youth . MAP youth were asked to take photographs of their food environment and community. Winning youth received a prize for their work.

What is your primary role in the Food Lab? I work on the DDFAR project as a transcriber, typing out what I interpreted from listening to an interview that’s recorded from Burmese/Karen to English.

Why did you decide to apply to work in the Lab? I wanted to be a part of the DDFAR project and be able to work around my community. I also wanted to do something that involves colleges just so I can be “prepared” and see what goes on in college environments.

What are you excited to work on or be involved with (in the lab) this year? I am excited to see where the DDFAR project is headed to and to be a part of the Food Lab’s new website.

What are your career goals (or, goals for your educational career – what would you like to accomplish or add to your resume before graduation)?  I would like to attend Fredonia college. I plan on graduating college with a degree in medicine (for pediatrics).

Tell us one hobby/activity you enjoy outside of work and school.I enjoy reading, my favorite book series is the “Series Of Unfortunate Events” by Lemony Snicket. 

Danielle, who started with the Food Lab as an undergraduate intern, is now a graduate assistant pursuing a dual-degree in business administration and public health. She is also a Western New York Prosperity Fellow.

As a member of the Food Lab Danielle has assisted in research covering food access issues in Buffalo, New York to sanitation systems in the Global South. She is currently assisting in a study with the Massachusetts Avenue Project focused on the experiences of customers who use mobile markets that sell fresh food in urban neighborhoods.

When not busy with lab and school work, Danielle is likely to be outdoors running!