Jeffrey Aguilar: Plant Physiology First Author

Jeffrey Aguilar, first author of “Capturing in-field root system dynamics with RootTracker”

Current Position: Managing Engineer at Hi Fidelity Genetics in Durham, NC

Education: B.S, M.S. and Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech in Atlanta GA

Non-scientific Interests: Woodworking, Music, TV shows

Brief bio: I acquired my M.S. and Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech under the supervision of Professor Dan Goldman in Department of Physics, studying the underlying hard ground and granular physics of simple robotic jumping. Leading up to and after graduation, I also experimented with the feasibility of direct current impedance sensing to detect roots growing in soil. In 2017, I officially joined Hi Fidelity Genetics to help further develop this technology into the RootTracker, where we have since performed numerous trials and transitioned the device into a fully scalable platform made to tackle various agricultural challenges where root phenotyping proves informative.