معرفی
Yuzhen Lu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU), with a joint appointment between the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources and College of Engineering. Before joining MSU in January 2023, he was an Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University (2020-2022) and a Postdoc Research Scholar with USDA-ARS and North Carolina State University.
Dr. Lu earned his Ph.D. in Biosystems Engineering from Michigan State University in 2018. His academic journey reflects a strong foundation in engineering applications for agricultural systems, with a focus on bridging technological innovation with practical farming needs.
Dr. Lu's research focuses on developing and deploying sensing and automation/robotics technologies for smart agriculture and food systems. His expertise spans optical instrumentation, machine/computer vision, image analysis, and applied machine learning. His work addresses critical challenges across the agricultural value chain, from in-field applications to postharvest processing, with particular emphasis on specialty crop production. His research integrates engineering principles with agricultural science to create practical solutions for real-world farming challenges.
Analysis of Dr. Lu's recent publications reveals a strong trajectory in agricultural technology development, with emphasis on machine vision systems for quality assessment, precision agriculture applications, and robotics for agricultural tasks. His work shows increasing integration of advanced AI techniques with traditional engineering approaches to solve practical agricultural problems, particularly in specialty crop production, livestock monitoring, and food processing.
- Recognized among the World Top 2% Scientists based on Standford and Elsevier Data in 2025
Dr. Lu actively mentors a diverse team of graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate researchers. His research is supported by multiple competitive grants from USDA-NIFA, MSU AgBioResearch, MDARD, and other funding agencies, totaling over $2 million in active funding. His projects range from developing vision-guided robotic systems for selective harvesting to non-destructive sensing technologies for food quality assessment, demonstrating both academic rigor and practical applicability.
Dr. Lu leads a dynamic research laboratory focused on non-destructive sensing (machine vision, optical imaging, and spectroscopy) and automation/robotics technologies for addressing practical needs in agricultural systems. His team collaborates with industry partners, government agencies, and academic institutions to develop and transfer engineering solutions for smart and sustainable agriculture & food systems, with particular emphasis on specialty crop industries where labor shortages and quality demands create significant challenges.
