People
Faculty
- Venkatesh Balan, Associate Professor, Biotechnology Program, Department of Engineering Technology, University of Houston
- Driss Benhaddou, Professor, Computer Engineering Technology Program, Department of Engineering Technology, University of Houston
- Weihang Zhu, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Technology Program, Department of Engineering Technology, University of Houston
Graduate Students
- Masha Alian, Doctoral Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, since Spring 2022 (advisor Dr. Venkatesh Balan)
- Doctoral Student, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Houston, since Spring 2022 (advisor Dr. Driss Benhaddou)
- Jiming Kang, Doctoral Student, Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, since Fall 2022 (co-advisor Dr. Weihang Zhu and Dr. Gangbing Song)
- Muhammad Muzamil Hussain, Doctoral Student, Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, since Spring 2020 (co-advisor Dr. Weihang Zhu and Dr. Li Sun)
- Sandesh Risal, Doctoral Student, Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, since Spring 2019 (co-advisor Dr. Weihang Zhu and Dr. Li Sun)
- Ezra Wari, Doctoral Student, Industrial Engineering, University of Houston, since Spring 2020 (co-advisor Dr. Weihang Zhu and Dr. Gino Lim)
- Yiyi Zhang, Master Student, Biotechnology Program, University of Houston (advisor Dr. Venkatesh Balan)
Undergraduate
- Muhammad Ayser, Biology Program, University of Houston
Collaborator
- Monterrey Mushroom, Madisonville, TX
- Kitchen Pride, Gonzales, TX
Current Funding
- US Department of Agriculture grant #13111855 IOT Based Smart Automated Mushroom Production System, PI Dr. Balan, co-PI Drs. Benhaddou and Zhu, June 2021 – May 2024, $500,000;
- US Department of Agriculture grant #13424031 “Developing Automated Robotic System for Mushroom Harvesting”, PI Dr. Zhu, co-PI Drs. Benhaddou, Balan and Merchant, September 2022 – August 2025, $590,004;
- UH Division of Research, “Large-Scale Testbed at UH Sugarland Campus for Promoting Biotechnology Research”, PI. Dr. Balan, with Dr. Benhaddou, Jan 2023 – Jan 2024, $320,803