Essays in Humanitarian Operations

The humanitarian supply chain plays a critical role in relief, recovery, and development efforts but can also have adverse environmental impacts. These impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions and waste generation, hinder the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian actions. To make humanitarian logistics more sustainable, it is necessary to measure and address these unintended consequences. My research focuses on quantifying the greenhouse gas emissions and waste generated by humanitarian logistics. By understanding and addressing these impacts, we can strive for a more sustainable approach to humanitarian efforts. We applied the System Dynamics method to understand better the complex and dynamic behavior of humanitarian supply chain operations from an environmental sustainability perspective.

Manijeh Komeili started her PhD at Kühne Logistics University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Maria Besiou and Prof. Dr. Andreas Kilian Gernert in April 2022. Her research focuses on the humanitarian supply chain. She is also a member of the CHORD team, focusing on environmental sustainability in humanitarian logistics. Prior to joining KLU, Manijeh received her master’s degree in industrial engineering (Economic and Social Systems). She is eager to conduct research that provides practical solutions to real-world problems.