Dr. Ranveer Chandra, Chief Scientist of Microsoft Azure Global, Joins Terramera’s Science & Technology Advisory Council

Date:05-14-2020



Terramera^®, the global agtech leader transforming how food is grown and the economics of agriculture over the next decade, recently announced that Dr. Ranveer Chandra has joined its Science & Technology Advisory Council. Dr. Chandra serves as Chief Scientist of Microsoft Azure Global, where he leads the Azure Global Research Team to drive innovation across different industries including agriculture, financial services, retail, logistics and energy using Azure’s cloud-based platform and artificial intelligence (AI).

The Science & Technology Advisory Council advises Terramera on its commercial efforts and mission to reduce the global synthetic pesticide load by 80% by 2030. Established to push the envelope on technologies that address global food security and climate change, the Council includes other world-renowned advisors such as Dr. Adrian Percy (Chair), Tom Chi and Dr. Markita Landry.

“One of my key missions is to help identify, devise and refine technologies to sustainably nourish the growing population of the world and I have been impressed with Terramera’s aggressive goals on reducing chemical use and increasing yield,” said Dr. Chandra. “Terramera’s Actigate technology is a breakthrough and I am incredibly excited to help unlock the potential for increased food production without harming the planet and bring together the latest advances in tech and agtech.”

Dr. Chandra started the Azure FarmBeats initiative at Microsoft, which is designed to use technology to improve food production in the midst of challenges such as limited arable land and receding water. His experience in leading this project and helping to build unique solutions to solve these problems using low-cost sensors, drones, as well as vision and machine learning algorithms, is well-suited to advance Terramera’s goals.

“Terramera has a vital role to play in improving plant health and farm yields and establishing agriculture as a significant solution to climate change,” said Karn Manhas, Terramera Founder and CEO. “Ranveer’s cutting-edge experience in cloud computing and AI, combined with his knowledge of the challenges associated with food production, will help us measure, quantify and accelerate the impact of our Actigate technology. We are thrilled to have him join our Science & Technology Advisory Council.”

Terramera currently uses the Azure FarmBeats platform to efficiently design and test new Actigate™ Targeted Performance technology formulations, which will enable faster prediction efficacy and product development to advance its 2030 goal. To find out more about Terramera’s vision for creating a world that thrives and provides for everyone, please visit terramera.com

About Dr. Ranveer Chandra

Dr. Ranveer Chandra is the Chief Scientist at Microsoft Azure Global. Over the course of his 15-year tenure with the company, serving on multiple research teams, his work has shipped in multiple Microsoft products, including Windows, Visual Studio, XBOX and Azure. In addition to leading the Azure FarmBeats research project at Microsoft, Dr. Chandra currently heads up the Battery Research and TV White Spaces projects. Dr. Chandra has published over 90 research papers and has over 100 patents that have been granted by the USPTO. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and has won several awards, including best paper awards and the MIT Technology Review’s Top Innovators Under 35. Dr. Chandra has an undergraduate degree from IIT Kharagpur, India and a PhD from Cornell University.

About Terramera

Terramera is a global agtech leader fusing science, nature and artificial intelligence to transform how food is grown and the economics of agriculture in the next decade. With its revolutionary Actigate™ technology platform, which was recognized by Fast Company as a 2020 World Changing Idea, Terramera is committed to reducing the global synthetic pesticide load by 80% by 2030 to protect plant and human health and ensure an earth that thrives and provides for everyone. The privately held company was founded in 2010 and has grown to include a world-class bench of engineers, scientists, advisors and investors. Terramera is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, has integrated operations in Canada, the US and India that include research labs, a greenhouse and farm, and more than 200 patents in its IP portfolio. For more information, please visit terramera.com