Education

2021-2025: Phd Student in Cultural and Social Anthropology - Institute for Latin American Studies, Freie Universität Berlin.

2010-2012: Master's degree in Gender Studies and Culture, with major in Social Sciences, University of Chile. Approved with maximum distinction.

2002-2006: Bachelor in Anthropology, with major in Social Anthropology, University of Chile. Approved with maximum distinction.

Scholarships and Awards

2021-2025: Scholarship holder of the Program ‘Becas Chile’, National Agency for Research and Development (ANID. Ex-CONICYT)

2010 -2012: Scholarship for master's degree studies in Chile. Funding: CONICYT

2016 - present: Member of the academic committee of the Master’s degree in Infant and Youth Nutrition. Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology and the Faculty of Social Sciences. University of Chile

2015 - present: Lecturer. “New insights on gender and ethnicity.” Massive Online Open Curse. U-Abierta University of Chile. five versions. Available online: https://goo.gl/TRFVEC

2019: Lecturer. “Transversal Course in Gender Theory.” Faculty of Social Sciences. University of Chile.

2015 - 2017: Lecturer. “Introduction to Gender Studies.” MA in Gender Studies and Culture. University of Chile. 2 Semesters.

2015 - 2017: Lecturer. “Amanda Labarca Cathedra on Gender and violence” General Curse, University of Chile. 4 semesters.

2013 - 2017: Lecturer “Gender Theories, Development, planning, and public policy” Postgraduate b-learning Diploma. 24 classroom hours.

2016: Lecturer. “Thesis Seminar.” MA in Gender Studies and Culture. one semester.           

2013-2015: Lecturer. “Gender Anthropology.” BA in Anthropology, University of Chile. three semesters.

2014-2015: Lecturer. “Fundamentals of food culture” ND215. BA in Nutrition and dietetics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valparaiso. two semesters.

Doctoral Thesis Project: "From the market to the bin: A comparative study of domestic processes of food preservation and waste in Germany and Chile"

According FAO, around a third of the food produced in the planet for human consumption is lost or wasted, which is equivalent to 1,300 million tons a year (FAO, 2011). Food loss and waste results in an environmental and humanitarian issue. While a huge amount of resources is wasted, millions of people are affected by hunger.

Food loss refers to the decrease or damage of a product before it gets to the market, and Waste means the non-consumption of food that is adequate for humans. Retail and consumers are responsible for waste (FAO, 2011).

While we have some data about how much is wasted, to the date there are no studies seeking to understand why food that ends up in bins everyday is discarded. We do not really know in detail what are the waste routes inside households, who are the key agents in this process, or whether there are differences in relation to subjects’ gender or diverse cultural backgrounds. This research proposal aims to contribute to filling this gap, throw a deep qualitative study focused on unfolding the cultural meanings that sustain food waste, consumption and preservation practices in the domestic context.

As general objective I propose to compare the processes of food preservation and waste in urban middle class households in Berlin (Germany) and Santiago (Chile), with a focus on cultural meanings around food and gender roles.

This kind of research requires a comprehensive methodology that allows to focus on the subjects of study more than on measurable data. For this reason, ethnography stands as the most adequate approach. Three methods will be applied for data collection: In-depth interviews, participant observation an logbook. On the basis of strategic or intentional selection, participants from ten middle class households will be recruited in each city, Berlin and Santiago. Data saturation will be assessed in order to decide if a bigger sample is needed. Data will be analyzed according to the Grounded Theory program.

Research projects

2021-2022: Alternate Director of the project "Models of Masculinity in construction and industry fields and their relationship with Health and Safety at Work" “SUSESO” - Research and Innovation Projects in the prevention of Occupational Accidents and Occupational Diseases.

2020-2022: Alternate Director of Project FONIS SA19I0085. Transmission of food dynamics and physical activity in the domestic environment: Qualitative study in families with children from 6 months to 5 years old in the district of San Joaquín, Santiago, Chile.

2016 - 2018: Technical Researcher. Project " Inventory of Products and Heritage Preparations of the Coquimbo Region." Funding: Foundation for Agricultural Innovation. Ministry of Agriculture, Chile.

2016 - 2017: Responsible Researcher. Project “Qualitative Study about sexual harassment at The University of Chile.” Funding: Gender Equality Division. University of Chile.

2016 - 2017: Research assistant. “Dynamics of power and psychological distress in the intimacy of relationships. “Millennium Institute for Depression and Personality Research (MIDAP). The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

2014 - 2016: Researcher. Project FONIS SA14ID0111. “Ideal body image, perceptions and differences: A qualitative study of women with or without obesity of different educational levels in Chile.” Funding: National Fund of Health Research – Chile.

2013: Researcher. Project “Equality of gender opportunities at University of Chile.” Funding: Gender Equality Division. University of Chile. https://bit.ly/2LJvYAT

2010 – 2013: Researcher. Project FONIS SA10I20003 “Design of a methodological proposal to identify cultural barriers and potentialities, focused on control and prevention of the overweight/obesity epidemy among low-income female population in Chile.” Funding: National Fund of Health Research - Chile.

Presentations at academic conferences and seminars (last five years)

12 - 14 April 2018: Paula Hernández, Carolina Franch, Elisa Niño y Manuela Cisternas. Harassment and sexual violence approach at the University of Chile. 1st Research Congress of the Faculty of Social Sciences. University of Chile.

3 - 8 Dec. 2017: Paula Hernández, Carolina Franch, Elisa Niño y Manuela Cisternas. Sexual harassment at the University of Chile, an activist-research experience. XXXI Congress ALAS. Uruguay.

23 - 25 Nov. 2016: Alejandra Alvear & Paula Hernández. Tools for research on food heritage: an inventory of products and heritage preparations of the Coquimbo region. X Ibero-American Seminar of Viticulture and Social Sciences. II International Seminar of Typical Products, DO, and Rural Development. I Seminar of "Culinary Heritage"

23 - 25 Nov. 2016: Paula Hernández and Alejandra Alvear. Heritage and memory: The case of confections from La Paloma. X Ibero-American Seminar of Viticulture and Social Sciences. II International Seminar of Typical Products, DO, and Rural Development. I Seminar of Culinary Heritage.

05 - 07 Sept. 2016: Jossiana Robinovich, Ximena Ossa, Bernardita Baeza, Universidad de la Frontera; Paula Hernández, Carolina Franch, Isabel Pemjean, University of Chile; Anja Krumeich Maastricht University. Ideal body image, perceptions, and differences: Qualitative study of women

Peer-reviewed journal articles

Franch, C., Pemjean, I., Rodríguez, L., Hernández, P., Ortega, A. “Comparison of the Dietary Guidelines in nine countries of the Americas”. Rev. Soc. Lat. Nutr. [Latinamerican society Journal of Nutrition] 71, nº2 (2021) Doi: 10.37527/2021.71.2.00x

Hernández, Paula & Franch, Carolina. “Perception of the nutritional discourse for the control of overweight and obesity among women from low-income households in Santiago, Chile." Rev. Chil. Nutr. [Chilean Journal of Nutrition] 46, n°5 (2020). ISSN 0717-7518

Alvear, Alejandra; Hernández, Paula & Montecino, Sonia. “Inventory of Products and Patrimonial Preparations of the Region of Coquimbo. A Review of Research Tools for the Study of Food Heritage.” RIVAR 4, nº 12 (2017): 111-122 ISSN 0719-4994

Franch, Carolina & Hernández, Paula. “Reconstruction ideologies and models of citizenship. A reading post-2010 earthquake in Chile.” Revista Nuevas Tendencias en Antropología [Journal of New trends in anthropology] nº 3 (2012): 90-108. ISSN 2173-0024

Contributions to edited volumes equivalent to peer-reviewed journals

Hernández, Paula. “Food, gender and domesticity” (2020). Alimentación, Cultura y Sociedad: Experiencias de Investigación en Chile [Food, Culture and Society. Research expieriences in Chile]. Catalina Ivanovic, Paula Hernández e Isabel Aguilera (Eds.). Santiago: Finis Terrae.

Franch, Carolina; Hernández, Paula; Follegati, Luna & Pemejan, Isabel (2012). “Desarrollo en entredicho. Configuración conceptual para la instalación de la Desigualdad [Development in question. Conceptual configuration for inequality installation] Chile Rumbo al desarrollo. Miradas Críticas [Chile on the path to development. Critical overviews]. Cousiño Donoso, Felipe & Foxley Rioseco, Ana María (Eds.) Santiago: Comisión Nacional Chilena de Cooperación con UNESCO: 255-276

Hernández, Paula & Pemjean, Isabel (2011). Ciencia y discriminación, género, mujeres y jóvenes [Science and discrimination, gender, women and youth] Mujer y Ciencia. Brechas de Igualdad [Woman and Science. Equality gap] Montecino, Sonia (comp.). Santiago: Catalonia. (2011)

Franch, Carolina & Hernández, Paula (2011). Patrimonio cultural en el contexto post-terremoto. Interrogantes y nuevos campos de acción para las ciencias sociales [Cultural heritage in the post-earthquake context. Questions and new fields of action for the social sciences]. Memorias Encuentro Nacional de Reconstrucción [Memories of National Reconstruction Encounter]. Observatorio de Reconstrucción.

Edited books

Catalina Ivanovic, Paula Hernández e Isabel Aguilera (Eds., 2020). Alimentación, Cultura y Sociedad. Experiencias de Investigación en Chile [Food, Culture and Society. Research expieriences in Chile]. Santiago: Finis Terrae.

Other publications

Carolina Franch, Paula Hernández, Gerardo Weisstaub y Catalina Ivanovic (2012). Consideraciones para identificar barreras y potencialidades culturales para el control y la prevención del sobrepeso y obesidad en mujeres de bajos recursos [Considerations for the identification of cultural barriers and potentials for the control and prevention of overweight and obesity among poor women]" Santiago: FONIS. DOI 10.13140/RG.2.2.13151.71845