Selena Mao
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Selena Mao (She/Her)
Manager, Research & Insights
San Francisco, CA
Selena Mao serves as Manager, Research & Insights at ReFED, where she leads research and methodology development to quantify the potential impact of food waste reduction strategies. Her work is driven by a passion for sustainability and systems thinking, strengthened through close collaborations with subject matter experts across the food system. Her interest in food waste stems from her background studying how urban development can exacerbate or address inequitable access to resources, as well as her experience working in a Japanese kitchen influenced by the mottainai philosophy of minimizing waste.
Selena holds a master's degree in urban planning from UCLA Luskin, where her research explored the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on Los Angeles' food economy, policy, and market mechanisms to expand the urban tree canopy, as well as community-driven approaches to align soil health initiatives with the needs of polluted and underserved neighborhoods.
Outside of work, Selena enjoys cooking, practicing ikebana, reading, and rollerblading through Golden Gate Park. Her dedication to reducing food waste is relentless—sometimes to a fault.
Connect with me about
Environmental policy; Spatial planning; Visual design; Research; Data analysis
Published Works
- “State-level policies alone are insufficient to meet the federal food waste reduction goal in the United States,” Nature Food (2025)
- Planting Resilience: Identifying Climate-Resilient Tree Species and Increasing Their Presence in Los Angeles’ Urban Forest (2021)
Fun Facts
Languages Spoken: English, Mandarin (proficient), Portuguese (conversational), French (beginner)
Favorite Food: Peruvian rotisserie chicken
Favorite Quote: "My God, I just remembered that we die; But—but me too?! Don’t forget that for now, it’s strawberry season.” – Clarice Lispector
Favorite Book: Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Favorite Things: Her black cat, Beans; being a sister to siblings who are all named after celestial objects or constellations
Food She Struggles the Most Not to Waste: Herbs
ReFED's work is made possible with generous support from and in partnership with our funders.