Maximiliano Cubillos, researcher at the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering of the Politecnico di Milano, has received the Aarhus University Research Foundation's PhD Award for his contributions on the optimisation of waste management and recycling. The prize recognises newly minted PhD graduates whose work in their fields and their presentation of it has received extraordinary recognition. Each prize-winner receives a cash award of 50,000 kroner in recognition of their achievements.
With his research, Maximiliano Cubillos has demonstrated that a combination of two research disciplines – operations analysis and data analysis – can make a difference when it comes to waste management and recycling.
The first focusses on solving management issues by drawing on mathematical and statistical methods. When it comes to optimising waste management, operations analysis can help identify models for successfully reducing costs and improving services. In one of his studies, Cubillos provides an algorithm that can help choose the right location for waste containers and plan collection routes. He also draws on advanced data analysis tools for analysing data on the weekly weighing of household waste in Herning Municipality, Denmark, over a period of eight years. This method, combined with a machine learning algorithm, enables to predict the amount of waste produced at household level.
Hear more and meet Maximiliano in the Aarhus University podcast series De unge forskere.