Hiral Makwana

Research Title/Topic:

"A Risk-Based Digital Twin Framework for Lane Management and Packaging Optimization in Pharmaceutical Cold Chains"

Biography:

Hiral Makwana is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sustainable Biomaterials at Virginia Tech, working under the supervision of Dr. Eduardo Molina. Her doctoral research focuses on developing an integrated, risk-based Digital Twin framework for pharmaceutical cold chain management, addressing the critical challenge of protecting temperature-sensitive products like vaccines from manufacturing through last-mile distribution.

Hiral earned her Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech (2025) and holds a Graduate Certificate in Data Analytics from Virginia Tech (2026).

She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Ganpat University, India. Prior to her graduate studies, she worked as a Global Category Sourcing Specialist at Vodafone, India, where she supported strategic sourcing and procurement activities across global supply chain operations.

Hiral is a Certified Scrum Master (SMC^®), a Certified Packaging Professional in Training (CPIT^®), and a Six Sigma Green Belt (SSGB). Since August 2024, she has been working in the Corrugated Materials Testing Laboratory, part of the Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design (CPULD), where she conducts comprehensive IKEA testing of corrugated boards.

Education:

• Ph.D. student, Packaging Systems and Design, Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, Virginia Tech (in progress)
• Graduate Certificate, Data Analytics, Virginia Tech, 2026
• M.S., Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2025 Thesis: “Prediction Modelling of Pallet Overhang on Box Compression Strength.” [OA URL ]
• B.Tech., Electrical Engineering, Ganpat University, India, 2018

Professional Memberships:

• International Safe Transit Association (ISTA)
• Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP)
• Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE).

Advisor: