- Ph.D. Student
Paulina Alexandra Endara Pallasco
- PhD Student, Nolan
Biography
Paulina Endara is a Ph.D. Candidate in Hotel Administration at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. Her research focuses on sustainable tourism, food systems, behavioral economics, and consumer decision-making, with particular interest in how incentives can encourage more sustainable sourcing and consumption practices in hospitality.
Her dissertation examines sustainable tourism and local food sourcing in the Galápagos Islands, combining consumer research, behavioral experiments, and market-based approaches to better understand how tourism businesses can support more resilient local food systems. Her work has been supported by a Cornell–Universidad San Francisco de Quito Global Strategic Collaboration Award.
In addition to her academic work, Paulina brings experience in hospitality operations, business analytics, process improvement, and food and beverage management. She currently works as an IT Data Analyst with Gellert Global Group, where she develops Power BI dashboards, supply chain analytics, and AI-enabled tools to support business decision-making. Earlier in her career, she worked in hospitality operations, internal audit, process management, and teaching in Ecuador and the United States.
Paulina holds an M.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and bachelor’s degrees in Hospitality Management and Finance from Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Her broader interests include hospitality innovation, customer experience, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and the development of new food and beverage concepts.
Research
- Endara Pallasco, Paulina Alexandra; Wiedmann, Martin; Adalja, Aaron. "Consumer willingness to pay for shelf life of high-temperature, short-time-pasteurized fluid milk: Implications for smart labeling and food waste reduction"Journal of Dairy Science. 106.9 (2023): 5940-5967
- Adalja, Aaron; Endara Pallasco, Paulina Alexandra; Martinez, A.; Valdivieso, A.J.C. "From plate to planet: Incentivizing local food sourcing for sustainable tourism in the Galapagos Islands" (in preparation).