After receiving his degree in agronomic engineering from the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil) in 2009, Erico joined the University of Georgia’s Ph.D. program in crop and soils sciences, where he co-authored two technology patents on the biological feedback control of LED lights. In 2012, Erico completed Singularity University’s graduate studies program. The following year, Erico co-founded a horticultural lighting company to develop high performance LED illumination systems for photosynthetic applications. He is a 2013 recipient of the Gifted Citizen Award (Mexico), the 2014 Emerging Leader of the Year Award by the Georgia Bio association, two times TEDx speaker and most recently was selected as one of the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit delegates. In 2015 and 2017 Erico co-authored two technology patents on the Phase Synchronizing Pulse Amplitude Modulation Fluorometer.

“I see the intelligent use of exponential technologies as a means to improve the efficiency of CEA farming and increasing crop production quantity and quality based on sustainable integrated systems.” – Erico Mattos

Dr. Neil Mattson, is associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science having joined Cornell University in 2007. He serves as a statewide greenhouse specialist with research and outreach programs focusing on the physiology of both vegetable and flower crops. His work emphasizes strategies to optimize crop production while reducing energy use through improved lighting and greenhouse control systems, plant mineral nutrition, and plant stress physiology. He has authored or co-authored 52 peer reviewed journal articles and 139 extension articles (bulletins, trade journal articles) and given more than 205 outreach presentations to >10,000 agriculture industry members. Mattson is director of Cornell’s Controlled Environment Agriculture group.

“Plant physiologists have known for decades how to manipulate plant growth through modification of light spectra and quantity. However, the exciting thing about LED technology is that this knowledge can be applied in a commercially practical way.” – Neil Mattson

Trained as an engineer with degrees from Wageningen University (1988) in the Netherlands and Cornell University (1995), he now serves on the faculty in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University as Professor and Extension Specialist. His research focuses on methods and systems to provide the optimum growing environment in protected plant production facilities. He has had a long interest in hydroponics, supplemental lighting and the use of energy in agricultural systems. His research includes projects in growth chambers, greenhouses and high tunnels. He conducts industry outreach through presentations at grower meetings, articles for trade journals, and collaborations with colleagues across the US. He teaches several undergraduate and graduate classes in different curricula at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

“LED lighting technology provides endless opportunities for new applications in controlled environment crop production systems, but it requires that we almost have to learn all over again how best to provide light to plants.” – A.J. Both

Dr. Arunas Tuzikas has degrees in Optoelectronic Engineering and Material Science from the Vilnius University (Lithuania). His thesis aims to investigate how controllable spectral power distribution solid state light impacts everyday life by mainly focusing on such niche applications as artwork illumination and street (outdoor) lighting. Based on research results, Arunas co-founded a Startup Company to develop a light source for preferential color rendition. As a research engineer, Arunas joined Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications Engineering Research Center (LESA) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2015, and together with other activities, started developing light prototypes for horticultural applications. He has co-authored of 19 peer reviewed journal articles, 3 technology patents and presented his work in 25 international conferences.

“It will take time to be able to grow plants under artificial light alone resulting in big profits, but with every day we are one step closer.” – Arunas Tuzikas

Dr. Tessa Pocock is a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications (LESA) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After obtaining a PhD in plant physiology in Canada she moved her research to Sweden as a recipient of a prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship. She joined RPI in 2014 after a decade in the European horticultural lighting industry where she oversaw over 800 LED spectral high-throughput experiments on greens, herbs and medicinal plants. She is co-inventor on four technology patents, has authored or co-authored three book chapters and twenty-one peer reviewed articles and has spoken at over 27 international conferences. Her specific interests include using LEDs (irradiance, spectral composition, timing, duration) to program photochemical, photosynthetic, development and biochemical processes in plants and the development of a physiological biofeedback system to maintain or change set LED physiological programs.

“The characteristics of LEDs such as narrow wavebands, rapid switching speeds and programmability are ideal for managing or modulating crop growth. Together with sensing and control both energy and non-energy benefits of LED systems can be realized” – Tessa Pocock

Kale Harbick studied computer science and robotics at the University of Southern California, earning a Ph.D. in 2008. He researched crater detection for Mars landers and autonomous helicopters at NASA-JPL, before shifting his career focus to energy. Kale taught many courses in physics and energy management for over 10 years. He managed a program at Oregon Department of Energy which implemented energy efficiency measures in over 800 K-12 schools. He was twice asked to testify for the Oregon State Legislature on residential energy efficiency programs. In 2015 he co-founded Greenhouse Logic, a consulting firm for CEA. His current research in the CEA group at Cornell focuses on environmental controls and modeling of energy and light.

“Energy modeling plays a key role in determining feasibility for a CEA operation, and GLASE is making several advancements in this area.” – Kale Harbick

Jonathan A. Allred is a PhD student at Cornell University. He received his BS in plant science at Cal Poly Pomona with a focus in field-crops. In 2015, Jonathan joined the Mattson Lab at Cornell where he obtained his MS in horticulture biology with a focus in controlled environment agriculture, biological and environmental engineering and economics as they relate to microgreen cultivation. In 2017, Jonathan accepted the position as a PhD student at Cornell remaining in the Mattson Lab. Currently Jonathan’s focus is on the optimization of day-neutral strawberry cultivars in controlled environments through the modification of various environmental parameters.

“In a field as pioneering and creatively captivating as plant production in controlled systems, sometimes it pays to have a fresh set of eyes” – Jonathan Allred

Dr. Robert F. Karlicek, Jr. is the Director of the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an NSF and industry funded center exploring advanced applications for next generation solid state lighting systems.  Prior to joining RPI, he spent over 30 years in industrial research and R&D management positions at AT&T Bell Labs, General Electric, Gore Photonics, and Luminus Devices.  His experience includes epitaxial growth LEDs and lasers, advanced device fabrication and high power LED packaging, thermal management, control systems design and advanced applications using solid state lighting/IoT concepts. He obtained his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and has over 64 published technical papers and 44 U.S. patents.

“Advanced LED system design with integrated sensing networks for dynamic control of optimized plant growth is one key to future food and water system sustainability” – Bob Karlicek

After receiving his BS in Human Resource Management and Entrepreneurship from Ithaca College in 2009 Matt moved to New York City to work in controlled environment agriculture and green construction technology industries.  In 2012 Matt launched his own start up company, City Hydroponics, offering design, consultation and installation services for small and large-scale urban and peri-urban CEA operations. While at City Hydroponics, Matt invented the patent pending Vertically Oriented Hydroponics System, operated a 3000 Sqft hydroponic and aquaponic greenhouse operation in South Orange NJ, managed a 50+ member all hydroponic community supported agriculture program and sold hydroponic baby salad greens to several prominent NYC restaurants.  In 2015 City Hydroponics was selected as a Semifinalist in the 76 West Clean Energy Competition hosted by NYSERDA.  In 2016 Matt Joined the Biological and Environmental Engineering department at Cornell University as a Research Support Specialist focused in greenhouse day-neutral strawberry production and greenhouse automation.

“As semiconductor and sensing technologies become cheaper to access and easier to implement, optimization in data driven agriculture can proliferate in an economically impactful way” – Matthew Moghaddam