I (Isabella) Righini MSc

Originally from Italy, I have been living and working in the Netherlands since 2018. I have a background in Horticultural Science and I am currently working as Researcher at Wageningen Research in the unit of “ Greenhouse Horticulture”. At the same time, I am doing a PhD within the “Horticulture & Product Physiology” at Wageningen University focusing on production efficiency and resource use in Controlled-environment Agriculture for urban and peri-urban areas. The PhD is funded as part of an H2020 project ('Food Systems in European Cities', 862663) running between 2020-2024, in which I am also the leader of a Work Package (on the implementation of horticulture projects in several EU cities).

Since 2024 (and until 2026) I am member of the Young Mind Committee of the ISHS, representing Europe, together with other 11 candidates worldwide. 

Research focus
My research over the years has included: projects in Vertical Farming and high-tech greenhouse (both academic and B2B) to investigate resource use efficiency and production of different crops (e.g., tomato, cucumber, soybean and, to a lesser extent, strawberry, basil, lettuce); validation of greenhouse-climate models adapted to different climatic regions; use of validated greenhouse-climate models to assess the effect of greenhouse investments (e.g., greenhouse structure, climate equipment) and management (e.g., climate settings) on crop yield, resource and energy use. I also worked on the topic of digital farming and autonomous greenhouses in partnership with “Tencent”, investigating the potential of sensors, mechanistic- and AI- models for remote control of greenhouse horticulture production.