Dr Laura Davila Pena

Laura Davila Pena is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Kent Business School. She obtained her PhD in Statistics and Operational Research in 2023 from the University of Santiago de Compostela, University of A Coruña and University of Vigo, Spain. In 2019, she graduated with a MSc in Statistical Techniques from the University of Santiago de Compostela, where she also obtained her BSc in Mathematics.

Prior to joining the University of Kent, she was working as a lecturer at the Department of Statistics, Mathematical Analysis and Optimisation from the University of Santiago de Compostela.

She has been visiting PhD at the University of Edinburgh, University of Porto, and Tilburg University, where she collaborated with leading researchers in the fields of Optimisation and Game Theory. In 2022, Laura was selected as one of the 12 YoungWomen4OR, a distinction from the EURO WISDOM forum that aims to promote the work of young women researchers in Operational Research.

Laura has participated in numerous national and international conferences and has also presented her work in scientific dissemination events. She is a member of the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operational Research (SEIO) and the Galician Society for the Promotion of Statistics and Operational Research (SGAPEIO).

Laura's research focuses on the study of vehicle routing problems and cooperative game theory, with work motivated by real-life situations in areas such as logistics or healthcare.

Laura has five years of teaching experience at the Department of Statistics, Mathematical Analysis and Optimisation at the University of Santiago de Compostela. She has taught different modules at the undergraduate level, including several introductory modules in statistics for biosciences or engineering, or game theory, among others. 

Laura has co-supervised eight dissertations of BSc students in the last five years.