News
Ioannis Athanasiadis appointed as chairholder Artificial Intelligence
As of 1 September 2024, Professor Ioannis Athanasiadis has been appointed as the chairholder of the new chair group in Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Wageningen University & Research (WUR). This chair group highlights the growing importance of AI for WUR and builds on previous investments in AI research and education.
Prof Athanasiadis develops AI methods to address global challenges in agriculture and ecology. He strongly believes in practice-oriented, fundamental research. “I am driven by the complexity of natural systems and want to harness artificial intelligence for the good of the planet,” says Prof Athanasiadis.
Career started in Greece
His academic career began in Greece, where he studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Thessaloniki. During his master’s thesis, he used neural networks to detect earthquakes. In 2005, he earned his PhD cum laude from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. During his research, he contributed a methodology for training intelligent agents and demonstrated it in air quality monitoring and urban water consumption simulation.
After his PhD, Prof Athanasiadis worked as a researcher at the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA) in Switzerland, where he applied AI techniques in agricultural and ecosystem modelling. He then returned to Greece to teach at Democritus University before joining WUR in 2015.
Sustainable future
In his current role, Prof. Athanasiadis and his team develop tailored AI solutions that help farmers, policymakers, and other stakeholders make better-informed decisions, manage risks, and deepen our understanding of complex system interactions through data-driven discoveries. “My aim is to further advance the field of artificial intelligence and contribute towards a more sustainable and food-secure future,” he adds.
Speaking about the appointment, Professor Richard Harrison, Managing Director of Plant Sciences at WUR, remarks: “I am delighted with the appointment of Professor Ioannis Athanasiadis as chair of the new Artificial Intelligence group. His expertise and collaborative spirit make him the ideal person to lead this group. The importance of both our new chair and the new group cannot be overstated; it strengthens WUR's position in developing AI solutions for agriculture and ecology. This development highlights our commitment to remaining at the forefront of discovery and innovation within our domain.”