In-Bok LEE, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
In-Bok Lee is Professor at Seoul National University, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Republic of Korea. He received a PhD degree in 1998 in environmental control of agricultural building at the Ohio State University, USA. His major research fields are 1) HVAC of agricultural buildings (greenhouses, vertical farm, livestock houses, storage, etc), 2) atmospheric dispersion (aerosol, airborne livestock disease, livestock odor, etc), and 3) energy saving and renewable energy. He has conducted the researches by the knowledge, skills, and experiences of aerodynamics and energy engineering in agriculture. His research team, Aero-Environmental and Energy Engineering Laboratory(A3EL) is especially very strong for aerodynamic and energy approaches such as computational fluid dynamics, large-sized wind tunnel, particle image velocimetry, building energy simulation, etc. Although his various computer simulation skills and abilities are very well known, he always emphasizes the importance of field experiments the most. Moreover, he is actively participating in the development of field application technology through combining various advanced ICT and AI technologies. He is researching the application of various cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning/deep learning, virtual reality (VR), and digital twin (DT) to smart farming researches, and is recently actively conducting research on urban agriculture and space agriculture. He has actively engaged in international human and information exchanges, and in particular, he has been continuously developing and conducting international cooperative researches with many researchers from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and North Africa. He has published over 140 peer review papers and over 250 papers in professional journals.
Leo Marcelis, Horticulture and Product Physiology group, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Prof. Dr. Leo Marcelis is head of the chair group Horticulture and Product Physiology at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. This group holds a strong position in research and education on vertical farming, greenhouse horticulture and post-harvest quality
His research focuses on sustainable production of high quality products in vertical farms and greenhouses; Leo has a strong background in plant physiology, crop monitoring, computational modelling and experimentation. He has extensively studied the physiology, growth and development of plants in order to improve sustainability and quality of crop production in greenhouses and vertical farms. In particular fluxes of assimilates, water and nutrients in the plant, sink/source interactions and partitioning among plant organs in response to abiotic constraints are subject of study. LED lighting is a major theme in his research. At the moment he is leading several large multidisciplinary research programmes on vertical farming, LED lighting and plant control in greenhouses and vertical farms in which universities and private companies cooperate.
Tracy Lawson, University of Illinois, United States of America
Professor Tracy Lawson is a plant physiologist whose research focuses on photosynthesis, stomatal behaviour and plant water use efficiency in the Department of Plant biology at the University of Illinois, and she also holds an appointment in the School of Life Sciences, University of Essex. Professor Lawson has more than 30 years of experience in photosynthesis research, has published over 195 peer reviewed papers, and has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate for the last 6 years. Her work combines physiological, biochemical, and phenotyping approaches to improve crop performance under fluctuating environmental conditions. Her research focuses on the stomatal control of atmospheric gas entry into the leaf, associated water loss and the mechanisms that regulate this process. Recent research has paid particular attention to stomatal kinetics and the impact of dynamic environments on both photosynthesis and stomatal behaviour. Lawson’s work also concentrates on phenotyping including chlorophyll fluorescence techniques (for quantifying light use and photosynthetic efficiency) and thermal imaging (for measuring stomatal responses and kinetics). Lawson’s lab developed the first imaging system for screening plant water-use-efficiency (McAusland et al., 2013). She has applied her fundamental understanding in plant physiology and chlorophyll fluorescence to develop light regimes and recipes for adoption into Controlled Environment Agriculture and more recently has published a plant-based feedback system that allows plant to signal to overhead light to adjust intensity to maintain photosynthetic efficiency (Stevens et al., 2026). This approach not only improved plants growth but reduced energy inputs into the system. Lawson obtained her first degree in Applied Biology in 1993 from Liverpool and PhD from Dundee in 1997. Following postdoctoral research positions in Dundee and Nottingham, Tracy moved to Essex in 1999 as a Senior Research Officer and, following a visiting fellowship at ANU, Australia, obtained a permanent research position at Essex in 2007 and was made Professor in 2016. She moved to take up her new position at the University of Illinois in January 2025.
Qichang Yang, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China
Professor Qichang Yang is the Chief Scientist at the Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IUA, CAAS), China, and an Academician of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences (IEAS). He is also the Director of the Key Laboratory of Intelligent Horticultural Equipment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China, and the Director of the Belt and Road Agricultural Joint Laboratory of China-Romania, Ministry of Science and Technology, China.
His research specializes in vertical farming systems, greenhouse engineering, and LED lighting in horticulture. As Chief Scientist, he has led a major national research initiative on intelligent vertical farming production technology, part of China’s National High Science & Technology Program. Over the past decade, he has organized or participated in 40 national research projects focusing on vertical farming, and energy-saving technologies in greenhouses. His academic contributions include over 270 publications, and nine monographs.
In addition to his research, he plays a pivotal role in international academic collaborations. He serves as the Chair of the ISHS Working Group on Design and Automation in Integrated Indoor Production Systems, Chair of Agri-Lighting committee of the International Semiconductor Lighting Alliance (ISA), and was the Convenor of GreenSys 2017, VertiFarm 2023 and IHC 2026.
Linda Onnasch, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
Linda Onnasch is professor of psychology of action and automation at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. Her research focuses on human-technology interaction considering system characteristics, psychological mediators and context factors. Together with her team, she investigates, for instance, how to integrate inherently social interaction patterns into human-robot collaboration to make interaction more intuitive, what explainable AI needs to explain to promote human-AI synergy, and how to allocate tasks between human and automation for appropriate overall performance. In national and international projects, she investigates how to design automation and decision support systems for high-tech agricultural systems (CUBES Circle: https://cubescircle.de/en/, AgRimate: https://agrimate-project.eu/). Linda is the Europe Chapter President of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and member of the spokesteam engineering psychology of the German Psychological Society.
Senthold Asseng, Technical University of Munich, Germany
Senthold Asseng is Professor and Chair of Digital Agriculture and the Director of the World Agricultural Systems Center at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. He works on cropping systems simulation modelling and vertical farming of broadacre crops. He has been a Top 1% Highly Cited Researcher by Web of Science.
Francesco Orsini, University of Bologna, Italy
Dr. Francesco Orsini is a full professor at the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL), University of Bologna, Italy. Francesco has published more than 170 scientific articles in academic journals, and is a FAO-UN consultant in urban agriculture projects in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. He coordinates the European Projects FoodE (Food systems in European Cities, funded by H2020), ReDesign (tRansformativE fooD valuE Systems reshapInG resilient urban laNdscapes, funded by Horizon Europe), and the Research Project of National Interest V-Farm (Sustainable Vertical Farming), funded by the Italian Ministry for Research and Education. In 2018, Dr. Orsini launched the International Student Challenge UrbanFarm. Since 2018, Dr. Orsini has been the Chair of the Landscape and Urban Horticulture Division of the International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS). He was the convenor of the 1st International Workshop on Vertical Farming (VertiFarm2019, Wageningen, The Netherlands) and the 3rd International Workshop on Vertical Farming (VertiFarm2024, Bologna, Italy).
Jutta Roosen, Technical University of Munich, Germany
Jutta Roosen is Professor of Marketing and Consumer Research at the Technical University of Munich. Her research focuses on food choices by consumers in their social and cultural context. Based on this approach she analyses consequences for food markets and policy. Jutta studied Agricultural Economics at the University of Bonn and Washington State University (USA), and she received her Ph. D. in Economics at Iowa State University (USA). Jutta is Fellow of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association and serves as Co-editor-in-Chief of Food Policy.
Dr. Angelo Vermeulen
Angelo Vermeulen is a space biologist, complex systems engineer, and visual artist who integrates science, design, and ecology to explore the future of human life in extreme environments. At Delft University of Technology, he develops bio-inspired systems for interstellar spaceflight, including self-replicating architecture and bioregenerative life support. As CTO of SpaceBorn United, he leads the development of the world’s first space IVF incubator, advancing research into human reproduction beyond Earth. He is a co-founder of SEADS, a transdisciplinary network whose work has been exhibited worldwide and sent to the International Space Station. In 2013, he commanded the first NASA-funded HI-SEAS Mars simulation, and in 2022, he reached the top 6% of ESA’s astronaut selections. With over 60 publications and several fellowships—including from TED and Parsons in the US—Angelo’s work explores the boundaries between art and science and challenges how we can shape our collective future in space and on Earth.
Jan Leyten, KBC Group
Jan Leyten is Agro Economics & Innovation manager at KBC Bank and is responsible for managing agriculture- and horticulture-specific expertise. In this role, he provides primary support to both headquarters and branch networks, closely monitors developments in the agriculture and horticulture sectors, and delivers in-depth analysis and reporting at both macro and micro levels, for the short and long term. Jan Leyten also supports the development of credit and insurance policies for agricultural clients and analyzes trends in agricultural loan production. In addition, he represents KBC in technical and economic consultations and plays a key role in strengthening KBC Bank’s external profile as a leading agricultural and horticultural specialist.
Rhuanito Ferrarezi, University of Georgia, United States of America
Dr. Rhuanito Soranz Ferrarezi is a Professor at the University of Georgia, where he leads a cutting-edge research program in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Crop Physiology and Production. His work bridges the gap between basic and applied science, focusing on sustainable technologies to revolutionize greenhouse and indoor vertical farming. With expertise ranging from precision irrigation and high-throughput phenotyping to advanced plant nutrition and lighting strategies, Dr. Ferrarezi has secured over $6 million in funding and published more than 100 refereed articles in top-tier journals. A dedicated educator, he specializes in workforce development in the United States and, more recently, in Italy, and leads the UGA Mediterranean Study Abroad program. He is an active member of ASHS, ISHS, and AAAS, maintaining deep collaborations with industry leaders and universities worldwide to build a robust, tech-driven CEA future.
Heike Mempel, University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan Triesdorf, Germany
Prof. Dr. Mempel is Professor of Horticultural Engineering and Quality Management at the University of Applied Sciences Weihenstephan Triesdorf (HSWT). In 2020, she founded the Applied Science Centre for Smart Indoor Farming (ASC) at HSWT and was appointed Research Professor for Smart Indoor Farming within the Bavarian High Tech Agenda (HTA). Her research focuses on controlled environment and vertical farming, with the aim of enabling efficient and resource conserving production of plant based raw materials and fresh produce. Key research areas include lighting strategies for improved energy efficiency and product quality, as well as the optimization and ecological assessment of production systems and value chains. She combines academic research with strong practical relevance, drawing on experience from the food retail sector and adopting an application oriented approach to horticultural innovation.
Wito Plas, Ghent University, Belgium
Wito Plas is a PhD student at Ghent University and is expected to defend his PhD in May 2026. He holds a background in Electromechanical Engineering and has been a researcher in the Applied Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer research group since 2019. In his research, he focuses on the modelling of plants in closed environments. He employs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate the climate inside small enclosed spaces, with particular emphasis on accurately modelling plant behaviour within these environments. In contrast to existing modelling approaches, his work explores a novel method in which plants are actively recreated in a three-dimensional environment. This approach enables more detailed, localised, and plant-specific studies of ventilation concepts. He has authored two peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented his research at numerous conferences. In addition, he has collaborated on projects with a major Belgian retailer, studying optimal ventilation strategies in vertical farms using CFD. He has also contributed to a research project entitled Cross-Talk, in collaboration with the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, in which the local climate surrounding lettuce plants was investigated.
Jeong-hwa Cho, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, Repblic of Korea
Dr. Jeong-hwa Cho is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Urban Environment Research Department at the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM), Republic of Korea. Her research focuses on energy-efficient controlled environment agriculture, with particular emphasis on vertical farming, rooftop greenhouse–building integration, and environmental optimization using computational fluid dynamics and building energy simulation. She has developed and validated simulation-based approaches to analyze airflow distribution, microclimate uniformity, and dynamic energy exchange between agricultural facilities and buildings.
Broes Laekeman, Ghent University, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Belgium
Broes is a PhD researcher at Ghent University and the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), specializing in assistive technologies for ornamental vertical farming. His work leverages computer vision techniques for autonomous crop monitoring and early pest and disease detection. By integrating real-time crop measurements with plant development models, he develops dynamic crop planning tools that enable precise crop steering through indoor climate control. Additionally, he has contributed to improved pest trapping methods tailored for artificially illuminated farming environments. Broes brings a multidisciplinary background in environmental engineering technology and biomedical engineering, along with one year of teaching experience.
Dafni Avgoustaki, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece
Dr Dafni Avgoustaki is an agriculture engineer that holds a Ph.D. in the optimization of energy efficiency and artificial lighting in Vertical Farms from the Department of Business Development and Technology (BTECH) at Aarhus University in Denmark (AU) (2021). She holds a Master’s degree with a specialization in controlled-environment agriculture (CEA), remote sensing techniques (hyperspectral vision) and automation in agriculture from the Master’s Program “Automation in Irrigation, Agricultural Structures, and Agricultural Mechanization,” organized by the Agricultural University of Thessaly, Department of Plant Production and Agricultural Environment (2016). She specializes in the development, application and assessment of novel and efficient techniques and technologies in CEA systems (vertical farms, greenhouses, hydroponic systems, artificial lighting systems), physiological evaluation of crops, efficient, and sustainable management of natural resources in CEA systems, remote sensing and crop monitoring systems using reflectance measurements, as well as practices to improve the energy efficiency of cultivation systems through precision agriculture. She has coordinated two research projects (Greek and Danish), she is acting as Work Package leader and lead scientist in two Horizon Europe projects both focusing on controlled-environment agriculture. She has also participated in three entrepreneurship programs (EIT Food) and won two prizes for her start up idea Verde Cube that focuses on optimizing vertical farming energy use efficiency by using smart algorithms and IoT technologies. She has more than 30 publications in peer-reviewed international scientific journals and numerous publications in international conferences.
Mohammed El Akrouch, University of Liège, Belgium
Mohammed El Akrouch is a PhD candidate at the University of Liège, within the Urban Agriculture Research Center of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, as part of the BIOBOOST PRO project. His research focuses on the use of modeling and artificial intelligence to define the nutritional optima of basil in hydroponics, reduce the nutritional limitations of trout-based aquaponic systems, and evaluate to what extent bioponic strategies can achieve these optima without relying on synthetic mineral fertilizers.
Additional speakers to be announced.
To be announced