Mariana Torres is a PhD candidate in environmental health sciences at the University at Albany School of Public Health. Her work in Mexico and the United States has shaped the study of food systems and their overlap with the environment and health. Her work has focused on food security, food policy, waste, and responses to food system shocks. Torres is a member of Multiscale Resilient, Equitable, and Circular Innovations with Partnership and Education Synergies (RECIPES) and the National Food Access and COVID Research Team (NFACT). Her recent work involves the development of a community-based model to understand the implications of New York State food policies on redistribution and waste of fresh produce surplus in the Capital Region.