Introduction
At Tilburg University’s Zero Hunger Lab (ZHL), researchers are using data science to help achieve the second Sustainable Development Goal: Zero Hunger. “We do this by working together with aid & development organizations, governments, businesses, and knowledge institutions that are also committed to a world without hunger,” says co-founder Hein Fleuren. ZHL helps organizations make better decisions in an increasingly complex world through smart use of mathematics and algorithms. The guiding question for ZHL is: how can we unlock the power of data science for a better world and a healthy planet?
Reducing global hunger requires more than just efficient and effective (emergency) food aid. More importantly, it involves strengthening local capacity so that farmers, businesses, and communities can achieve sustainable food security and become independent of aid. That is why ZHL works not only from the Tilburg University campus but also on-site with organizations that have safe access to people in need, understand how to make communities resilient, and co-create solutions with sustainable impact together with those communities.
More than twenty researchers from Tilburg University are active in the lab, collaborating on over forty research projects with partners such as the World Food Programme, Food Banks Netherlands, 510 Red Cross, ZOA, World Vision, Welthungerhilfe, the World Bank, INSEAD Humanitarian Research Group, and Wageningen University & Research.
Current Projects
Digital Dignity Initiative – Reaching People in Need, Ethically
Not everyone eligible for assistance from food banks actually makes use of it. How can we reach and encourage these people to accept help, while maintaining their dignity? The Association of Food Banks in the Netherlands estimates that many more people qualify for support than are currently receiving it. To address this, ZHL is working on the Digital Dignity Initiative, which explores how 'digital nudges'—subtle, ethical digital prompts—can be used to encourage people to seek food assistance without stigma.
Optimizing Humanitarian Aid Logistics
Getting emergency aid to the right place at the right time is a major challenge. Is a road passable? What is the distance from a disaster site to a response depot? Humanitarian organizations need reliable, up-to-date information to organize aid effectively. ZHL researches how to gather reliable data despite scarcity and uncertainty, using innovative methods to optimize emergency response logistics.
Child Growth Monitor – AI to Detect Malnutrition
An estimated 800 million people go to bed hungry every night, including 200 million children. Malnutrition leads to 5.6 million preventable child deaths each year. Early detection is critical, yet only 35% of malnourished children are adequately measured due to time-consuming and often inaccurate manual methods. ZHL is developing an AI-driven algorithm that can assess body parameters—such as height, circumference, and weight—from images, enabling automatic malnutrition detection via a mobile app.
Education & Student Involvement
As part of Tilburg University, ZHL is also committed to education. Students are encouraged to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges, demonstrating that data science and operations research are not only useful in profit-driven industries but also in tackling global issues like hunger.
Some ways students can get involved:
- Minor in Operations Management for Sustainable Development – This course, developed by associate professors Thomas Breugem and Joris Wagenaar, explores humanitarian supply chains and applies operations management techniques to challenges like food distribution, resource allocation, and handling uncertainty. Additionally, the course explores the complex trade-offs and stakeholder dynamics essential to sustainable development. If you are interested in applying your skills for social good, this minor is highly recommended.
- Master’s Thesis Opportunities – Over 70 students have already written their thesis at ZHL, contributing valuable research to combat hunger.
- Educational Outreach – Zero Hunger Lab, in collaboration with Breda University of Applied Sciences, has developed an interactive board game to raise awareness among primary and secondary school students about global hunger issues.
Are you interested in using your skills for social good? Explore the opportunities at Zero Hunger Lab and make an impact!
More Information
For further details and updates on ongoing projects, visit: Zero Hunger Lab | Tilburg University.