Prasad joined the DART group as a Postdoctoral Fellow in February 2025. His research interests span agro-hydrology and hydro-meteorology. During his PhD in Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, he developed real-time fog prediction methods using uncertainty-aware Bayesian Neural Networks (https://fog.iitk.ac.in). Prasad is passionate about leveraging advancements in data science to tackle critical challenges in environmental modeling, with focus on remote sensing and citizen-science methods. His cocurricular activities include volunteering for scientific events and attending guest lectures.

Sourajit Dey, is originally from West Bengal, India, and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at Kansas State University as a Graduate Research Assistant. With a focus on forage agronomy, he aims to enhance drought resilience in alfalfa, and his project is funded by USDA to monitor impacts of drought on forage production in Southern Great Plains. Dey holds a M.S. degree from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, India. He excels in statistical programming and is enthusiastic about exploring coding for agriculture datasets. Beyond academia, he enjoys travel, music, and guitar, embracing exploration and creativity.

Nishadini is originally from Sri Lanka and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Technology and Management in 2019, followed by a Master’s degree in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in 2022, both from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Additionally, she completed her second Master’s degree in Agronomy at K-State in December 2023. She is excited to work as a PhD student with Dr. Gaurav Jha on the soil microbial innovations project funded by National Science Foundation (https://www.k-state.edu/micra/). In her free time, she enjoys traveling to appreciate nature, as well as indulging in her passion for cooking and baking.

Udit Debangshi, is a Graduate Research Assistant pursuing his M.S. at Kansas State University, focusing on understanding how different climates and soil types affect crop management and yield predictions in various agricultural regions. He has a B.S. in Agriculture from Visva-Bharati University in India. He is passionate about crops and soils and draws inspiration from Rabindranath Tagore (a renowned Indian philosopher and poet, particularly his ideas about education). He has authored and co-authored scientific articles on topics related precision farming technologies, Additionally, he has initiated a group called ‘The Indian Society of Sustainability’. He aspires to make a positive impact in agriculture, guided by Tagore’s words: “The roots below the earth claim no rewards for making the branches fruitful.”

Lawrence is an undergraduate student at Kansas State University, majoring in Agricultural Technology Management with a focus on Precision Agriculture, and minoring in Agronomy. He has hands-on experience from an internship at an agricultural cooperative, where he learned about the agriculture industry firsthand. Lawrence is interested in using precision farming technology and agronomy techniques to boost crop yields and improve farming practices. Outside of his studies, he enjoys being a part of the K-State Marching Band, playing different instruments, and listening to all kinds of music.

Rafael is originally from Brazil and is an undergraduate Agronomy student at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). He has hands-on experience in soil fertility analysis, with a focus on major crops such as soybean, corn, and wheat. His research interests include precision agriculture and the use of data-driven approaches to improve crop productivity and increase global crop yields. In his free time, Rafael enjoys traveling to experience nature and listening to good music.

Victor Ruiz is a Visiting Scholar at Kansas State University, joining the Digital Agronomy Research Team (DART) for a year-long research residency. He is currently pursuing his degree in Agricultural Engineering at UNICAMP (University of Campinas) in Brazil. With a technical background in Mechatronics, Victor brings a unique skill set to the lab, including proficiency in Python programming and embedded systems (tecnologias embarcadas).

He is passionate about the intersection of technology and the field, specifically focusing on agricultural automation to improve efficiency and sustainability. Victor is a collaborative team player who values lifelong learning and technical precision. Outside of the lab, he is an active individual who enjoys working out, traveling, and playing pickleball. He is also an avid gamer and enjoys the strategy and community of the gaming world.

Sagar Kumar is an MTech student at the Agrogeoinformatics Lab, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, and a visiting scholar with the Digital Agronomy Research Team at Kansas State University, where he works on data driven digital agriculture applications. His interests include analytics driven digital agriculture, remote sensing for precision agriculture, and farmer oriented decision support systems, with a focus on applying machine learning to agricultural datasets. At DART, he is completing a part of his M.Tech thesis while contributing to ongoing research that links data analytics with real world agronomic challenges. Alongside his academic work, he has been actively involved in student clubs and coordination roles at IIT Guwahati, gaining experience in leadership, teamwork, and research outreach, which has strengthened his interest in the interface of agriculture, data, and agribusiness decision making. He holds a foundation degree in Agricultural Engineering and brings a strong engineering background with hands on interdisciplinary experience. Outside academics, he enjoys farm visits and, as a hodophile, spends his leisure time exploring new places, playing badminton, or watching movies.

Daniéle Papalia is an undergraduate student in Agronomy at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), Brazil. She has research experience in soil fertility, focusing on fertilizer management and crop nutrition. She has also worked on soil conservation research, with an emphasis on soil degradation and hydrological monitoring.

She is particularly interested in connecting scientific research to field applications in a clear and accessible way. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, traveling, and cooking with friends.