Abhilash Chandel

Abhilash Chandel serves as an Assistant Professor of Precision Agriculture Technologies and Data Management in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech, holding a 50% research and 50% extension appointment since December 2021. His work bridges advanced data analytics with practical agricultural solutions, focusing on optimizing crop production through technological innovation.

Dr. Chandel's academic foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Washington State University (2021)
• M.Tech. in Farm Machinery and Power Engineering from IIT Kharagpur (2015)
• B.Tech. in Agricultural and Food Engineering from IIT Kharagpur (2015)

His research program centers on precision agriculture technologies, specializing in aerial and satellite remote sensing, machine learning applications for crop monitoring, and data-driven water stress detection. Key innovations include AI-enabled mobile tools for real-time field diagnostics, multispectral imagery analysis for disease identification, and evapotranspiration mapping systems for irrigation optimization. His work addresses critical challenges in water management, yield prediction, and sustainable crop production across diverse agricultural systems.

Analysis of Dr. Chandel's publication record reveals consistent advancement in UAS-based crop monitoring, with increasing emphasis on AI integration for real-time decision support. His research spans multiple cropping systems including soybeans, peanuts, wheat, and specialty crops, demonstrating particular expertise in thermal-RGB fusion techniques for physiological stress assessment and machine learning frameworks for yield prediction. Recent work shows expanding applications in disease detection (anthracnose, nematodes) and precision nutrient management.

Dr. Chandel's contributions have been recognized through multiple awards including:

• Graduate Student Leadership Award (WSU, 2021)
• Walter and Vinnie Hinz Outstanding Graduate Student Award (2020)
• Winner of Microsoft-WSU Digital Ag-Athon (2020)
• Multiple travel awards and departmental recognitions during graduate studies

Through his extension appointment, Dr. Chandel develops practical resources for Virginia farmers including VCE publications on drone-based nematode assessment, peanut maturity mapping, and multispectral disease diagnosis. His work demonstrates strong collaboration with agricultural stakeholders to translate research into field applications, though specific details of graduate student mentoring or major grant funding were not documented in available sources.