People
Principal Investigator
Sunoj Shajahan
Assistant Professor
Sunoj was born and raised in Tamil Nadu, India. His interest for FOSS started during his PhD where he developed four software tools for processing field images using FOSS, ImageJ. Druing his period as a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University, he worked on remote sensing and data analysis for crop yield prediction. Sunoj joined UIUC in Fall 2023, and started the Digital Precision Agriculture Lab, which focuses on using precision technologies and developing data-driven practical and geospatial solutions for agriculture.
sunoj@illinois.edu | |
Assistant Professor
Sunoj was born and raised in Tamil Nadu, India. His interest for FOSS started during his PhD where he developed four software tools for processing field images using FOSS, ImageJ. Druing his period as a postdoctoral associate at Cornell University, he worked on remote sensing and data analysis for crop yield prediction. Sunoj joined UIUC in Fall 2023, and started the Digital Precision Agriculture Lab, which focuses on using precision technologies and developing data-driven practical and geospatial solutions for agriculture.
sunoj@illinois.edu | |
Graduate students
Sandesh Poudel
Ph.D. student
Sandesh is from Chitwan, Nepal and joined our team in Spring 2025. He earned his B.E. in Agricultural Engineering from Tribhuvan University, and his M.S. from the University of Georgia, where he developed the innovative Digital Agricultural Technology Readiness Level (DATRL) framework to assess agricultural technology maturity. His research interest includes robotics, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and precision agriculture in order to develop sustainable farming solutions. Sandesh is currently working on developing solutions for automatic weed detection and removal using robotic platform. He is also the author of book, "Agricultural Extension Education" and has received multiple awards for his academic and leadership contributions.
spoudel2@illinois.edu | |
Ph.D. student
Sandesh is from Chitwan, Nepal and joined our team in Spring 2025. He earned his B.E. in Agricultural Engineering from Tribhuvan University, and his M.S. from the University of Georgia, where he developed the innovative Digital Agricultural Technology Readiness Level (DATRL) framework to assess agricultural technology maturity. His research interest includes robotics, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, and precision agriculture in order to develop sustainable farming solutions. Sandesh is currently working on developing solutions for automatic weed detection and removal using robotic platform. He is also the author of book, "Agricultural Extension Education" and has received multiple awards for his academic and leadership contributions.
spoudel2@illinois.edu | |
Xiaoyu Zhang
MS student, ABE
Zhang is from China. His research interests are in satellite image analysis, geospatial analysis, and machine learning. His MS thesis focuses on “Generalizing yield prediction and identifying key factors to improve the accuracy of prediction.”
xiaoyu26@illinois.edu
MS student, ABE
Zhang is from China. His research interests are in satellite image analysis, geospatial analysis, and machine learning. His MS thesis focuses on “Generalizing yield prediction and identifying key factors to improve the accuracy of prediction.”
xiaoyu26@illinois.edu
Seth Van Hoveln
Senior, Engineering Technology Management in Agricultural Sciences
Seth is from Milford, IL. He comes from a farm background and an expert in precision agriculture. He will graduate in Spring 2025, and is intersted in pursuing a MS and joining our team as a graduate student in Fall 2025.
sethtv2@illinois.edu
Senior, Engineering Technology Management in Agricultural Sciences
Seth is from Milford, IL. He comes from a farm background and an expert in precision agriculture. He will graduate in Spring 2025, and is intersted in pursuing a MS and joining our team as a graduate student in Fall 2025.
sethtv2@illinois.edu