ALEXANDRA TOWNS, PH.D.
Research Translation Strategy Lead
Dr. Alexandra Towns is the Research Translation Strategy Lead with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), focusing on developing and implementing LASER’s research translation strategy, with an emphasis on practitioner engagement. Alexandra has worked for CRS since 2015, advising on research and university collaborations to improve the programming in the 100+ countries where CRS works. Dr. Towns has also led assessments on African indigenous vegetables for CRS food security programs in Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Uganda, and Zambia and teaches as an adjunct professor at Towson University. Prior to joining CRS, Alexandra worked at Naturalis Biodiversity Center, researching West African plant markets and African plant-based medicine for maternal and infant health. Alexandra holds a PhD from Leiden University and a MS from the University of California, Davis.
BETTY BUGUSU, PH.D.
Technical Director
Prior to joining LASER PULSE, Dr. Betty Bugusu served as the Managing Director of Purdue’s International Food Technology Center housed in the Department of Food Science and the Director for the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Processing and Post-Harvest Handling working in Kenya and Senegal. She also worked as a Research Scientist with the Institute of Food Technologists and as Program Associate for SUSTAIN (a non-profit organization), both based in Washington DC. Dr. Bugusu obtained her B.S. degree in Agriculture from Egerton University, Kenya and M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science from Purdue. Her research focused on cereal chemistry.
YUEHWERN YIH, PH.D.
Director
Dr. Yuehwern Yih is the Director (previously Academic Director) of LASER PULSE Consortium and Professor of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University. Her research area focuses on system engineering for developing strategies to optimize and manage complex systems/operation performance. Dr. Yih translates and implements her research work as system models, evaluation tools, designs and solutions in health systems, humanitarian relief operations, supply chains, and global development areas. Examples include an integrated nutrition support system for HIV patients in Kenya, jointly developed with AMPATH; an emergency response supply chain management system (ETRA), jointly developed with Catholic Relief Services; an integrated demand sensing health supply chain (E+TRA Health) in Uganda, joint effort with Makerere University and Management Science in Health; and spatial redesign for Kangaroo Mother Care in Malawi, joint effort with Save the Children. Dr. Yih is an IISE Fellow and ELATE Fellow.
