Data Intelligence for sustainable transitions professorship

The professorship stimulates data-driven innovation to accelerate sustainable transitions in agriculture, food and the living environment.

The Data Intelligence for sustainabe transitions professorship for sustainable transitions focuses on accelerating sustainable innovations through the application of technology and data. In a time when societal challenges such as climate change, food security and biodiversity loss are becoming increasingly urgent, new ways of thinking and acting are vital. Technology plays a key role in this respect — provided it is deployed in a well-informed, cross-domain manner and without losing sight of the context.

In the professorship, technology is not viewed as a standalone entity, but as a force that interconnects sectors. We develop knowledge about data collection, analysis and interpretation, and investigate how these insights can be applied in diverse domains: from precision agriculture and AI-driven food innovation to ecological monitoring and management of the living environment.

The research agenda is structured around five interconnected focus areas:

• Knowledge Representation
  How do we save complex systems, processes and knowledge logically, transparently and traceably in data and AI systems? This research programme explores data models, ontologies and interoperability in agricultural and food systems, among others. Knowledge Graphs is one of the technologies we use for this.
  
  
• Generative AI / Agentic AI
  Research into the use of generative technologies (such as language models) and autonomous AI agents to design new solutions, products or behavioural interventions.
  
  
• Remote Sensing
  Use of satellite and sensor data for monitoring and analysis in the landscape, agriculture and urban environments.
  
  
• Digital Twins
  Virtual representations of physical systems for real-time simulation, prediction and decision-making. The focus is on integrating sensor, remote sensing, AI and field data.
  
  
• Data & Ethics
  Responsible use of technology: transparency, privacy, bias, governance and social acceptance.

These topics unite fundamental technological themes with application-oriented issues from the agricultural, food and living environment domains. Collaborating on practice-oriented projects with a broad network of researchers, lecturers and external partners results in insights that lead to better policy, design and implementation choices.

We work with the professeorship on the following research projects, among others:

• Integrated Drought Modelling
• HAS Hackathon Sensors & AI
• Biodiversity monitoring with sensors
• Remote sensing for landscape management
• Exploration of AI agents in food innovation
• Weed robot
• Digital Product Passport
• Avenue tree cultivation
• Green Roofs

View all reports, summaries and articles of projects from the professorship in Greeni

The professorship was present at:

• Digital Synergy Days May 2025
• NLAIC April 2025

Collaborations include:

• Waterschap De Dommel
• MRE (Metropolitan Region Eindhoven)
• Provincial authorities
• Municipalities
• SURF
• Yuverta
  Wageningen University & Research
• Delphy
• Blue Radix
• Brabant Development Agency (BOM)
• Van Hall Larenstein university of applied sciences
• Aeres university of applied sciences
• Inholland university of applied sciences
• Utrecht university of applied sciences
• Avans university of applied sciences
• EAISI (TU/e's AI research | Eindhoven Artificial Intelligence Systems Institute)
• UVA Amsterdam Business School
• Other professorships at HAS