IAG further invests in the team as it heads towards the official launch date in Autumn 2023.

Agricultural technology company, Innovation Agri-Tech Group (‘IAG'), is further investing in its ever-growing team by strengthening its academic and scientific expertise with two new appointments. Deepa Manikkath Haridas and Felix Trimmer have both joined the team as Lead Plant Scientist and Molecular Biologist respectively.

Deepa Manikkath Haridas, who joins IAG as Lead Plant Scientist and who has received her PhD in September, is a highly trained and motivated research professional with over eight years of experience in agricultural research in an industrial and academic environment. Deepa's areas of expertise include agriculture, crop physiology, microbiology, molecular biology, and data analysis. Her PhD work focused on understanding the plant microbe interactions and how these interactions can be utilised to maximise crop productivity in sustainable agriculture.

Deepa comments, "The next generation of crops cultivated indoors will require in-depth research at the intersection of architecture, engineering, and plant science. Vertical farming technology is an ideal and realistic choice for supporting sustainable agriculture in the expanding food market. I am excited to join the IAG team and to further explore the research opportunities that vertical farming provides to support its expansion."

Alongside Deepa, Molecular Biologist Felix Trimmer also joins the team as part of the crucial plant science section of IAG, having recently achieved his BSc in Molecular Biology from Royal Holloway, University of London. With a keen interest that combines both the natural and the technological, by joining IAG Felix will collaborate with the team to develop innovative and ground-breaking solutions that cross the frontier between technology and agriculture. Felix's in-depth knowledge and understanding of both the technical and horticultural will complement the team as they continue to push the boundaries of farming, harvesting both plants and data in order to prove the efficiency of IAG's growing technology.

Jaz Singh, CEO, Innovation Agri-Tech Group comments, "Although we are now moving beyond the pure R&D phase at IAG, driving innovation, expanding our product line, and developing technologies that advance to work harder than ever at optimisation will remain a significant component of what we do. The breadth of knowledge and passion that both Deepa and Felix have will continue to benefit and support our clients and drive that ongoing desire to share our knowledge. Always looking forward is essential to creating a sustainable and future-proof way of farming, and we hope it's clear for everyone to see we are anything but a business that stands still."