Wei-Zhen Liang

Dr. Wei-Zhen Liang is a Researcher at the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, specializing in precision agriculture, crop and livestock modeling, and IoT technologies. His work bridges digital agriculture with practical irrigation management solutions.

• Ph.D., Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University (2015)
• M.S., Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University (2011)
• B.S., Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University (2008)

His research interests focus on precision agriculture, AI and machine learning for agricultural IoT networks, image analysis in crop monitoring, and sensor development for irrigation management. He integrates edge computing and cloud technologies to optimize water use in semi-arid regions.

Recent publications highlight advancements in real-time data systems for crop water stress analysis, canopy cover sensing for dry edible beans, and weed detection frameworks using edge-computing. Grant funding includes USDA and NSF projects for AI capacity building in digital agriculture.

• USDA-CBG Grant (2024-2027): Building AI/ML capacity for digital agriculture
• USDA-AFRI Grant (2023-2026): Precision engineering for vineyard water management
• NSF-ExLENT Grant (2023-2026): Experiential learning in plant phenotyping
• AG2PI Grant (2022-2023): Training programs for precision agriculture tools

Dr. Liang collaborates with institutions like Purdue University and Florida A&M University, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to sustainable agricultural systems.