Translating research into action

In most research labs, the projects that take priority are the ones that excite scientists most. But for Ricardo Hernandez, Ph.D., associate professor of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) at North Carolina State University (NC State), research that yields real implications for growers takes precedence.

As director of the university's CEA Coalition, a multidisciplinary research group on campus, Dr. Hernandez has actively engaged growers and suppliers across the industry to identify the most significant challenges facing CEA and plan his research projects accordingly.

"We're trying to shorten the amount of time it takes to get from research to discovery," Dr. Hernandez says. "The best way we can do that is getting feedback directly from the industry on what the most pressing challenges are– and how we can solve them right away."

Built upon three pillars—industry-driven, extensive infrastructure, and multidisciplinary expertise—the organization works across departments and with other universities to uncover meaningful insights for growers and suppliers across the CEA industry.

How industry shapes research
Because the CEA Coalition depends on external funding, Dr. Hernandez initially targeted suppliers and companies to support early-stage research initiatives. Engagement, however, was limited: many companies wanted assurance that growers were directly involved.

"We started to see more of these companies come in when we asked growers to join," Dr. Hernandez says. "Just like us researchers, they want to know what challenges growers are actually facing"

So how does Dr. Hernandez decide which grower problem to tackle first? Instead of prioritizing projects based on academic interest, he relies on input from the Coalition's supplier partners.

Growers submit their challenges directly to the Coalition. Dr. Hernandez then circulates those challenges among suppliers, asking the to vote on which issues have the greatest potential impact on the CEA industry as a whole. This collaborative approach ensures that both research efforts and funding are aligned with the most relevant, high-impact needs.

"I expected there to be conflict when deciding what to research first," Dr. Hernandez says. "But I quickly realized that companies want to solve the same problem growers are facing."

Impact in action
As a member of the CEA Coalition, LLK Greenhouse Solutions has seen a direct correlation between NCSU-CEA Coalition research and its business goals. The project on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) — a method for visualizing and modeling airflow — is especially helpful for greenhouse planning.

In one particular project, Dr. Hernandez worked with aerospace engineer James Braun, Ph.D., to accelerate airflow modeling in greenhouses. Prior to this partnership, using computer modeling to visualize greenhouse airflow was tedious and time-consuming.

"It used to take two or three days for our computer model to give us a result," he says. "But after we started working with Dr. Braun, the rocket scientist, we started seeing results in minutes."

© LLK Greenhouse Solutions

For LLK, this modeling capability is a powerful planning tool. Engineers can visualize airflow patterns from circulation fans and vents before construction begins, gaining insight into crop performance and potential microclimate shifts driven by design decision.

Just as importantly, it allows infrastructure choices to be evaluated early, before they become costly mistakes for growers.

"LLK wants to ensure their greenhouses are sustainable and functional for growers", Dr Hernandez says, "When customers ask what expect of from a new Greenhouse, LLK can now support those conversations with data and research."

The benefits of academic partnerships
Participation in the CEA Coalition has proven valuable for everyone involved. Beyond advancing the industry, the Coalition has fostered meaningful connections among researchers, suppliers, and growers—connections that support long-term innovation and business growth.

"Growers and suppliers in the industry have benefited from these connections and interactions," Dr. Hernandez says. "We benefit because we have a steady way to continue doing research that matters. The projects we're doing now are a launching pad for larger, much more complicated projects."

The CEA Coalition is still a young organization, as it was just established three years ago in 2023. With only two full years of research under its belt and meaningful projects already underway, Dr. Hernandez feels confident about the future — and momentum is clearly building.

"We can leverage the grower problems we're solving to apply for more funding from the federal government," he says. "Our supplier partners are stakeholders in that, and these funds help us research to solve other grower challenges."

The future of the coalition
The CEA industry moves fast, and innovation requires growers, suppliers, and researchers to work together. The CEA Coalition makes this collaboration possible.

With grower challenges shaping NC State's research focus and suppliers contributing their expertise and funding, the Coalition is positioned to lead CEA into the future by researching solutions to real industry problems.

For LLK Greenhouse Solutions, the Coalition offers a platform to help develop the next generation of greenhouse technologies and infrastructure systems.

"We're very grateful for the companies and growers who have supported us because they're helping us perform impactful research," Dr. Hernandez says. "They're helping us find out if we can close the gap between innovation and adoption."