June 30, 2025, 1-5PM, Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center
Agricultural robotics is advancing rapidly in response to the growing need for sustainable and efficient farming. However, its adoption remains limited due to gaps in technology readiness and real-world deployment. A major barrier is the lack of interdisciplinary collaboration, resulting in solutions misaligned with practical farming needs. Addressing this requires coordinated efforts across academia, industry, and government, with a focus on adaptable and scalable automation.
This workshop aims to bridge these gaps by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and innovation. By uniting experts in robotics, agriculture, and related fields, it will promote knowledge exchange, highlight emerging research, and develop actionable strategies to advance robotics in agriculture. Such collaboration is key to driving sustainable transformation in the industry.
This workshop is offered in a hybrid format: In-Person or Online. Online link will be provided to all registered participants before the workshop begins.
Special Invited Speakers
- Steven J. Thomson, National Program Leader at the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
- Martin Vesper, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) & Managing Director, Pfeifer & Langen GmbH & Co. KG
- Gilwoo Lee, CEO & Founder, Zordi
- Kamil Shafiq, Co-Founder, Poket
How to Participate
If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please complete the online registration form. Completing this form together with the online registration for the workshop is required for both attendees and presenters. Workshop registration is due
June 12, 2025June 19, 2025 (extended).
Program (Tentative)
| Time | Agenda / Title | Speaker(s) |
| 1:00 – 1:10 | Opening Remark & Workshop Introduction | Kiju Lee, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University |
| 1:10 – 1:30 | Overview of NIFA & Funding Opportunities | Steven Thomson, National Program Leader, The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA (online) |
| 1:30 – 1:45 | Invited Talk: TBA | Martin Vesper, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) & Managing Director, Pfeifer & Langen GmbH & Co. KG (online) |
| 1:45 – 2:00 | Invited Talk: TBA | Kamil Shafiq, Co-Founder of Poket |
| 2:00 – 3:00 | Research Presentations | |
| 3:00 – 3:15 | Networking Coffee Break | |
| 3:15 – 3:30 | Overview of Texas A&M AgriLife Research | Amir Ibrahim, Associate Director & Chief Scientific Officer of Texas A&M AgriLife Research (online) |
| 3:30 – 3:45 | Invited Talk: TBA | Gilwoo Lee, CEO & Founder of Zordi |
| 3:45 – 4:45 | Research Presentations | |
| 4:45 – 5:15 | Discussion: Relevant Federal Programs, Strategies for Funding | TBA |
Workshop Organizers
| Kiju Lee | Texas A&M University |
| Mahendra Bhandari | Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Corpus Christi, Texas |
| Muthu Bagavathiannan | Texas A&M University |
| John Cason | Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Stephenville, Texas |
| Robert Hardin | Texas A&M University |
| Ali Fares | Prairie View A&M University |
| Juan Landivar | Texas A&M AgriLife |
| Dugan Um | Texas A&M University |