News from TNLA

Meet Dr. Chenchen Kang

Assistant Professor, Tennessee State University

I am excited to join Tennessee State University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Science and Engineering at the Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville. My research explores robotics, smart sensing, and AI-based systems that have the potential to transform nursery production practices in the future.

I earned my Ph.D. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Washington State University, where my research combined hyperspectral imaging and machine learning to improve vineyard irrigation management. Afterward, I continued as a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State University, where I worked on robotic spraying systems, IoT-based crop monitoring, and computer vision applications for orchards and controlled environment agriculture.

At TSU, I plan to extend this work with a dedicated focus on nurseries. My research interests include precision and autonomous agricultural machinery—designing and evaluating intelligent systems that improve efficiency and sustainability; AI, computer vision, and field robotics— developing smart sensing and robotic solutions for crop monitoring and management; and modeling, simulation, and control of agricultural systems—creating data-driven models to optimize resource use and performance.

I look forward to collaborating with Tennessee’s nursery industry, colleagues, and students to explore how these advanced technologies may be translated into practical options for future adoption.

Please feel free to reach me at ckang1@tnstate.edu, if you would like to connect.