I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Michigan State University (MSU). Before starting the position in January of 2023, I was a Postdoc scholar with USDA-ARS on the campus of MSU for 2018-2019, focusing on optical imaging for quality evaluation of horticultural products and machine vision-based apple in-field sorting technology development (click here). Thereafter, I joined the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University, with research on imaging-based high-throughput plant phenotyping and precision agriculture. I was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Mississippi State University for 2020-2022.
Welcome to join us at MSU! We are here to innovate in non-destructive sensing (e.g., machine vision, optical imaging, and spectroscopy) and automation/robotics technologies for addressing practical needs/challenges in agricultural systems encompassing production and postharvest processes. Our goal is to research, develop, and transfer engineering solutions for smart and sustainable agriculture & food systems, especially for specalty crop industries. For prospective graduate students/postdocs who are determined to work with me, I expect you to be devoted, proactive, creative, and adaptive, while being willing to go beyond your comfortable zone and embrace challenges. Research is never trivial but a real journey. I am excited to be on this journey with you. My goal is for you as a graduate student/postdoc to grow professionally and enjoy the process of becoming an expert in your discipline. I will strive my best to support you during your academic pursuits and enhance your profession and beyond. If you would like to have a glimpse of my personality, you may read some of my writings (written in Chinese 10+ years ago).
PhD in Biosystems Engineering, 2018
Michigan State University
2025 Spring: BE 815 Experimentation and Instrumentation for Biosystems Engineering (3 credits, lecture/lab), Michigan State University
2024 Fall: BE 421 Sensors & Robotics for Agricultural Systems (3 credits, lecture), Michigan State University
2024 Spring: BE 815 Experimentation and Instrumentation for Biosystems Engineering (3 credits, lecture/lab), Michigan State University
2023 Fall: BE 491/891 Sensors & Robotics for Agricultural Systems (3 credits, lecture), Michigan State University
2022 Fall: ABE 4463/6463 Introduction to Imaging in Biological Systems (3 credits, lecture), Mississippi State University
2022 Spring: ABE 4423/6423 Bioinstrumentation II (3 credits, lecture/lab), Mississippi State University
2021 Fall: ABE 4990/6990 Introduction to Imaging in Biological Systems (3 credits, lecture), Mississippi State University
Fall Semester: Problem Solving in Agricultural and Biological Engineering (to be developed for 2022 Fall)
I am actively looking for motivated PhD (and or MS) graduate students to start in Summer/Fall 2025 in the Department of Biosystems & Agricultural Engineering at Michigan State University. The student will be expected to conduct original research within the fields of sensing and automation for agriculture-food systems. Potential research topics include but are not limited to optical sensing or machine vision for quality assessment, grading, and sorting of horticultural produce and meat, in-orchard sensing & automation of specialty crop production, imaging-based high-throughput phenotpyping, and artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics for precision plant/animal production. Students with engineering backgrounds (e.g., agricultural/food engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, etc.) or relevant experience in computer vision and machine learning are highly welcome to apply. Please email me (luyuzhen@msu.edu) with your CV if you are interested.
See the GRA position (in English). See the GRA position (in Chinese).
In additon, I also have Postdoc positions focusing on harvest automation for specialty crops. The position can be started in Fall 2025. Qualifications for this position include demonstrated experience in machine/computer vision, hardware prototyping, sensors and control, system integration, and strong publication records in engineering journals.
See the Postdoc position.