Rate My Professor Regina Berretta

Professor Regina Berretta is an Honorary Professor in the School of Computer and Information Sciences within the College of Engineering, Science and Environment at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Mathematics, Master of Engineering (Electrical), PhD, and Teachers Certificate, all from Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil. Her academic career includes positions as Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment at the University of Newcastle from 2003 to 2007, progressing to Associate Professor and Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computing. She has held key leadership roles such as Head of Discipline of Computer Science and Software Engineering (2011-2014), Deputy Head of School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (2014-2017), and Assistant Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (2019-2022). Professor Berretta's research focuses on the design of mathematical models and development of efficient computation techniques for large and complex combinatorial optimisation problems. Her expertise spans heuristics, metaheuristics, evolutionary algorithms, and operations research, applied to areas including bioinformatics, supply chain optimisation—particularly in the food sector—production planning, and timetabling. As Chief Investigator at the ARC Training Centre for Food and Beverage Supply Chain Optimisation, funded with over $2 million, she addresses challenges like food loss minimisation and inventory optimisation. She was a founding member of the Priority Research Centre for Bioinformatics, Biomarker Discovery and Information-Based Medicine for ten years, advancing large-scale data analytics.