Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis
Assistant Professor, Precision Agriculture and Smart Machines
SWFREC Precision Agricultural Engineering Program
Dr. Yiannis Ampatzidis is an Associate Professor and leads a research and extension precision agriculture engineering program in the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) in Immokalee, Florida. Dr. Ampatzidis received his B.S. in Agriculture Science in 2002 from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) in Thessaloniki, Greece, with a major in row crops and ecology. After completing his bachelor’s degree, Dr. Ampatzidis enrolled in the Agricultural Engineering department and completed his M.S. in 2005 with an emphasis in precision agriculture and robotics. At the same time, he completed his second bachelor’s degree in Hydraulics, Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering in 2008 (AUTH). He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Engineering from AUTH in 2010 with an emphasis on precision agriculture and automation for specialty crops.
Dr. Ampatzidis works in the area of mechanization and automation of specialty crop production. He focuses on the design, development, and testing of sensors and control systems for optimal management of inputs, resources, and products. Dr. Ampatzidis’ current research focuses on mechanical harvesting of specialty crops, mechatronics, artificial intelligence, machine vision, precision agriculture, smart machines (e.g., smart spraying technologies), UAVs, and machine systems. Dr. Ampatzidis has a special interest in development, implementation, and evaluation of agricultural machines and control systems for high-value crops (precision agriculture applications, remote sensing, embedded systems developing and programming, UAVs-drones, GIS applications).
In the combined extension and research program, he collaborates with other faculty and research partners, creating synergy both inside and outside of the University of Florida to provide leadership in precision agriculture, automation, and robotics.
Contact Information
239-658-3451
UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center
2685 FL-29
Immokalee, FL 34142
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Research
Departmental Research Areas:
- Agricultural Production Engineering
Research Focus:
- Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for agriculture and natural systems, smart sensors and machinery, mechatronics, artificial intelligence and robotics, machine vision and learning, automation, remote sensing, wireless sensor network, and big data application [Emphasis is being given to developing smart machines and equipment for site-specific applications (e.g. precision sprayer for pests and weeds) in order to reduce agricultural inputs such as water, fertilizer, and pesticides.]
- Mechanization and automation of specialty crop production (e.g. harvest), focusing on the design, development, and testing of sensors and control systems for optimal management of inputs, resources, and products
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Extension
- Extension program in precision agriculture includes the development of an educational program to promote adoption and evaluation of state-of-the-art precision agriculture equipment and techniques with a goal of improving the profitability and environmental sustainability of Florida’s fruit and vegetable industry
- Integrates knowledge from multiple academic domains, particularly in aerial systems and advanced sensor technologies for citrus and vegetable production
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Education
- Ph.D. Agricultural Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (AUTH), 2010
- M.S. Agricultural Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (AUTH), 2005
- B.S. Agricultural Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (AUTH), 2008
- B.S. Agricultural Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (AUTH), 2002
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Professional Experience
- July 2017 - Present
Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Florida - June 2017 - July 2017
Associate Professor, Department of Physics and Engineering, California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) - September 2013 - June 2017
Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Engineering, California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) - January 2011 - August 2013
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems (CPAAS), Washington State University - July 2006 - December 2010
Researcher, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) - December 2009 - March 2010
Researcher, National Agricultural Research Foundation, Institute of Soil Science, Thessaloniki, Greece - May 2007 - May 2008
Agronomist-manager, “Agios Georgios E.P.E.”, Greece
- July 2017 - Present
- Publications
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Awards and Honors
- Silver Award for Excellence in CSUB Research, 2015-2016
- Bronze Award for Excellence in CSUB Research, 2014-2015
- USDA E. Kika De La Garza Science Fellow, 2014
- Bronze Award for Excellence in CSUB Research, 2013-2014
- Certificate of Reviewing Excellence, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture Journal, 2013
- ASHS Extension Publication Award winner for the paper: "Training System Affects Sweet Cherry Harvest Efficiency" [HortScience 48(5):547-555]., 2013
- Full scholarship from “State Scholarships Foundation”, Greece. Competition 2005 in the specialty “Automations in Precision Agriculture” (Duration: 42 months), 2005-2009
- Erasmus Program, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL), Copenhagen, Denmark (Duration: 6 months), 2004-2005
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Other Professional Activities
- Editorial Advisory Board Member of Computer and Electronics in Agriculture Journal
- Editorial Board of Agricultural Science Journal
- American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE)
- Florida American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers
- American Society of Horticultural Science
- Florida State Horticultural Society
- Hellenic and European Society of Agricultural Engineers (ΕΓΜΕ, EurAgEng)
- European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (EFITA)
- Vice Chair, ASABE California-Nevada Section
- Chair, ASABEITSC-318 Mechatronics and Biorobotics Committee
