Terramera, the global agtech leader fusing science, nature and artificial intelligence to transform how food is grown and the economics of agriculture, today announced that Dr. Santa Ono, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia (UBC), has joined its Strategic Advisory Board.
Ono is an internationally renowned biologist and professor of medicine who has held positions at numerous prestigious universities including Harvard, Johns Hopkins and University College London. While president of the University of Cincinnati, Inside Higher Education named Ono America’s most notable university president and Upworthy celebrated him as one of nine global CEOs exemplifying “servant leadership.” As President of UBC, Ono leads 64,000 students, 16,500 faculty and staff and manages an operating budget of $3 billion.
As part of Terramera’s Strategic Advisory Board, Ono will advise on short and long-term business strategies alongside Greg D’Avignon, Stewart Beck and Nancy Roman. Together, the Board provides a wealth of perspectives to help scale Terramera’s technology globally.
“As a molecular biologist and someone who has advised both start-up and Fortune 500 companies, I am blown away by Terramera’s vision and the quality of the leadership within the organization,” said Ono. “Terramera is at the cutting edge of agriculture, using the latest technologies in artificial intelligence and machine learning. I believe in Terramera’s goals and am excited to do everything I can to support its growth to be one of the world’s great companies in this sector.”
“Terramera is creating game-changing technologies to solve some of the world’s biggest problems and that requires bringing the best minds together,” said Karn Manhas, Terramera Founder and CEO. “In addition to being a globally recognized leader, Santa’s experience advising companies of all sizes paired with his background in biology make him the perfect partner in our mission to reduce pesticide loads 80 percent.”
UBC and Terramera have a strong history of project collaboration, including:
- A 2020 project to predict future COVID-19 virus strains. The project is led by Terramera’s Dr. Steven Slater, who also serves as an Adjunct Professor in UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems.
- A 2018 Ignite Award for research to create a safer generation of plant-based pesticides with Terramera’s revolutionary Actigate™ technology.
- A project funded by the Organic Federation of Canada and Mitacs to test organic pesticide solutions against Spotted Wing Drosophila, a major invasive pest in B.C.'s berry industry.
FFor more information:
Terramera
www.terramera.com