David Harris

David has always been fascinated with agriculture and this led him on the inevitable journey to joining Freight Farms in 2016. After working closely with farmers for multiple years he joined the community himself and started a small farming company with his brother. In 2021 he founded the plant research team with the goal of empowering farmers to get more with less. Since then the research team has explored areas from the microbiome, genetics, resource optimization and recipe development.

Azlan Zahid

Dr. Azlan Zahid is an assistant professor of Automation and AI for CEA in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University. He leads the CEA Engineering Lab at the AgriLife Dallas Research Center where his research focuses on developing data-driven solutions for CEA. His lab leverages sensing, computing, and automation technologies, including computer vision, deep learning, digital twins, robotic systems, and the Internet of Things (IoT), to optimize resource use, reduce labor dependence, and improve crop yield in CEA. Dr. Zahid received his Ph.D. in agricultural robotics from The Pennsylvania State University in 2021. He has authored more than 30 referred journal articles, 3 book chapters, and numerous conference papers and presentations and is the editor for the peer-reviewed journal Computers and Electronics in Agriculture.

Casey Schwichtenberg

Casey Schwichtenberg is a Senior Mechanical Engineer at AeroFarms, specializing in water and nutrient systems for the company’s state-of-the-art vertical farming facilities. A fourth-generation farmer, Casey is passionate about advancing agricultural technology and developing environmentally friendly solutions. His focus is on full lifecycle systems, efficient water consumption and water recapture. He earned a Master of Science degree in Bioengineering from Northeastern University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University.

Uttara Samarakoon

Tobias Peggs

Tobias is Cofounder and CEO of Square Roots, the indoor farming platform built to accelerate agricultural research. Commercial organizations partner with Square Roots to accelerate trials for new varieties and secure the supply of specialty items. Non-commercial and research organizations leverage the Square Roots platform to explore novel means and uses of plant production, for food and beyond. Square Roots was founded in 2016, and owns 5 commercial-scale facilities across the midwest USA. Tobias has a PhD in AI, and lives in New York City.

Gundula Proksch

Yong Zhu

Yong Zhu is the Andrew Adams Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University. He received his BS degree from the University of Science and Technology of China and MS and PhD degrees from Northwestern University. He completed his postdoctoral training at the University of Texas at Austin. His group conducts research at the intersection of mechanics of materials and micro/nano-engineering, including nanomaterial-enabled flexible and stretchable electronics. His work has been recognized with a number of awards including James R. Rice Medal from the Society of Engineering Science, Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, ASME Gustus L. Larson Memorial Award and Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award, and Best Wearable Material/Component Development Award at IDTechEx Wearable USA.

Cristian Toma

Emily Zhou

Henry Sztul

Henry Sztul is Chief Technology Officer at Bowery Farming, a leading vertical farming company in the U.S., serving over 1400 grocery stores and major e-commerce platforms. At Bowery, he oversees agricultural science, software engineering, data science and R&D to optimize crop health and advance agricultural innovation. Henry’s career began in research, where he investigated ultrafast optics with funding from NASA, the Department of Defense, and Corning during his Ph.D. and post doc in Physics. Transitioning to software engineering, he worked with Boxee and at Homefield before co-founding Shelby.tv, which was later acquired by Samsung and a part of their next generation TV platform. He has published dozens of peer-reviewed papers and holds several patents.