Nitin Rai
Postodctoral Research Associate, University of Florida - Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC).
Data-driven agriculture
As an agricultural engineer working closely with precision agriculture technologies, I take a data-driven approach to visualize and monitor farming operations. To address these operations, I integrate advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques with the data obtained from ground and aerial-robots to accomplish site-specific needs.
With over seven years of experience in developing data-driven solutions for sustainable practices in precision agriculture, I specialize in both foundational and applied research in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and autonomous systems for site-specific management in row and specialty crops. My expertise spans in-field data acquisition using autonomous ground and aerial robotic systems, the development of predictive AI models, and their deployment on edge platforms for real-time, closed-loop decision-making as part of on-farm research. This includes AI-driven perception, localization, and actuation for tasks such as targeted spraying. Overall, I am blessed to work on cutting-edge research while hoping to lay a foundation for incoming researchers. I believe that the future of agriculture is data-driven. But what matters the most is how well do we manage, process, and interpret this data so that farmers, growers, stakeholders, agricultural technology providers, and extension educators could be benefitted from it. I strongly believe in the quote below:
Data is the new currency but it will be useful when it is turned into action.
My academic background
I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Florida - Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC), supervised by Prof. Arnold Schumann and co-supervised by Prof. Nathan Boyd. I obtained my doctoral degree in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at ND State University in 2023, working with Dr. Xin (Rex) Sun. Prior to this, I earned my master’s degree in Agricultural Engineering with a specialization in Agricultural Systems & Management from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India. While my two years at the institute, I worked in the Soil Physics Lab and was advised by Prof. B.S. Das and co-advised by Dr. R. Machavaram. I also hold a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) (formerly, Allahabad Agricultural Institute), India.