New biosystems engineering prof to advance agricultural productivity through digital technologies

Dr. Jiating Li joined the Department of Biosystems Engineering as Assistant Professor in Digital Technologies for Agri-food Production on September 9, 2024. After her education in agricultural and biological systems engineering, she spent time at the University of Illinois Urbana Champagne before coming to the University of Manitoba. Jiating will be delving into a broad range of digital technologies to advance Canadian agricultural and food production systems. 

Tell us about yourself

I completed my undergraduate studies at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, a beautiful city in China. In 2017, I started my graduate journey at the department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA. I received my M.S. degree in Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering in 2019 and my Ph.D. degree in Biological Engineering from the same department in August of 2023, under the supervision of Dr. Yeyin Shi. After graduation, I had one year of Postdoctoral research experience at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There, I worked in Dr. Carl Bernacchi’s group to explore the potential of a cable-suspended phenotyping system in enhancing crop photosynthesis efficiency.

Why did you get into this area of study?

I grew up in a small village in southeast China, where we grew our own vegetables. Much of my childhood was spent in the backyard, helping my family manage the plants. Those moments naturally fostered my deep love for agriculture. Meanwhile, I am also a big fun of data, particularly, I find it inspiring and exciting to extract insights and explore knowledge from different types of data. Agricultural engineering is the perfect field of study for me, as it allows me to combine my passion for agriculture with my strengths in advanced technologies and data analysis to solve real-world agricultural challenges.

What are you seeking to explore with your research?

My overarching research vision is to integrate state-of-the-art digital sensing technologies and automation systems alongside physics- and data-driven computational approaches to elevate agricultural productivity and sustainability. Today, agricultural crop production faces increasing challenges and uncertainties, primarily due to global climate change. For example, sudden drought or heatwave events can result in significant yield loss and economic impacts. My goal is to develop robust methods, such as multi-scale crop stress sensing system and advanced predictive models, to enhance the efficiency of crop development and management in a changing climate.

Will you be teaching? What appeals to you about being a teacher?

Starting in the winter semester of 2025, I will be teaching BIOE 3270 Instrumentation and Measurement for Biosystems. In addition, I plan to design a new course that focuses on equipping students the critical skills (e.g., programming, data analysis, sensing principles) needed to leverage various digital technologies in agricultural and food production systems.

Although I have had limited experiences as an independent instructor, my time as a lab instructor and guest lecturer during my graduate studies was particularly memorable. To me, the most fulfilling aspect is witnessing students learn from my lecture and engage actively with me. The positive feedback from students has been the most appealing to me about being a teacher.

Any interesting stories you’d like to share?

My field of study involves intensive field work, especially in summer. One summer during my graduate study, we had a field site located in western Nebraska, which was a six-hour drive from my campus (eastern Nebraska). The interesting fact was, for a 20-minute UAV/drone flight, we took a three-day field trip, with two of those days solely on the road.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I enjoy doing exercise and playing with my cat. While I haven’t had the chance to explore mountains here in Winnipeg (if there are any), I do love hiking in mountains. That’s probably something I would do during longer holiday breaks, like going on a road trip from Banff to Jasper.