Elprida Agustina is a PhD candidate in the Environmental Engineering Study Program at Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia, under the supervision of Prof. Emenda Sembiring and Dr. Anjar Dimara Sakti. She also serves as a lecturer in the Environmental Infrastructure Engineering Study Program at the same institution. Her academic career began with a strong focus on solid waste management and technology. Driven by her interest in data and statistical analysis, her current research explores the development of probabilistic models for unmanaged plastic waste from the sources through river systems. Her study integrates waste management concepts, socio-economic conditions, remote sensing data products, spatial analysis, and machine learning to develop innovative, data-driven decision-support tools.

Her work has been recognized with the Best Paper Award at The 5th Symposium of the International Waste Working Group – Asian Regional Branch (IWWG-ARB) 2023 and the Best Poster Award at The 7th Environmental Technology & Management Conference 2023. Motivated by Peter Drucker’s principle, “We can’t manage what we can’t measure,” her long-term goal is to generate applicable and reliable datasets that can serve as a scientific foundation for evidence-based environmental strategies and policies.

Looking ahead, her research will expand beyond plastic waste to encompass integrated solid waste management and waste-to-energy systems, contributing to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—specifically Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), Goal 14 (Life Below Water), and Goal 15 (Life on Land).