Alana is involved in the VFAST project focusing on integrating vertical farming with novel energy storage technologies.

She contributes to pivotal aspects like Market Analysis UK and Dissemination, exploring the nexus between energy and food markets. Additionally, she drives Grow It York, an innovative urban vertical farm initiative under the FixOurFood programme at the University of York, investigating its environmental and social impacts.

As coordinator for the Take a Bite Out of Climate Change consortium, Alana develops educational materials to influence food-related policy and public choices, supported by her extensive background in international research funded by entities like N8 AgriFood Policy Hub and UKRI GCRF.

Mark has been involved in the Vertical Farming industry for around 10 years. He is the Founder & Chairman of UK Urban AgriTech (UKUAT), bringing together the leading companies, universities and individuals in the UK urban agritech industry. He is also the Founder of CEA Proteins, and does freelance consulting work across the industry.

In his work he has dealt extensively with industry standardisation & interoperability, sustainability certification, vertical farming education and vertical farming policy. His expertise is in building networks and associations that maximise value for their members, and for the industry as a whole.

Mark’s primary interest is in taking a systemic overview of how vertical farming can be integrated with other systems, to deliver on its promises of regenerative food production and resilient societies.

Derek is Director of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC, https://www.apgc.org.uk/), a £30M Tay Cities deal regional development project hosted at the James Hutton Institute, which has a vision to increase commercial, economic and environmental benefits to the agricultural, food and drink sectors in the UK and Internationally by innovative use of precision-controlled environment technologies.

For over 30 years Derek has worked at the industry-academia interface and has led multiple (inter)national multipartner projects that, to date, totalling >£300M.

As director of the APGC he oversees the novel research, development and innovation centred on the development of pre- and post-harvest innovation, including controlled environment agriculture, crop storage etc and with a strong focus on vertical farming supported by multiple projects supported by Innovate UK, BBSRC, Scottish government and industry.

Adam is currently working as a GIS Analyst at RheEnergise, an innovative provider of long-duration energy storage solutions. With three years of experience in data analytics, Adam specialises in environmental analysis, bringing valuable expertise to the VFAST project. At RheEnergise, Adam's responsibilities include analysing spatial data, modelling potential sites for HD Hydro systems, and providing critical insights to inform the project's decision-making processes.

In the VFAST project, Adam leads the co-location feasibility analysis, focusing on identifying the most promising regions for integrating HD hydro and vertical farming systems. This work will culminate in the creation of an interactive map, visualising the analysis and promoting the integration of HD hydro and vertical farming systems.

Managing Director of vertical farming company Farm Urban and non exec director of industry members association UKUAT. Paul gained his BSc at the University of Liverpool and went on to complete a PhD in epigenetics, exploring how environmental factors can affect our DNA and in turn our health and wellbeing. In 2014 Paul co-founded Farm Urban, leading the company through 10 years of sustainable growth.

Paul and the team deliver Innovative urban farming projects, develop award winning education programs with international reach and engage in cutting-edge research to advance the field. Paul continues to maintain strong links to academia by partnering on a range of research projects and holding an honorary lectureship at the University of Liverpool School of Engineering. Paul is currently retained as an expert advisor to The Heath Park Development, which is a ground-breaking Eco- Community Project developing a net zero carbon Vertical Farm solution to sit at its heart.

Martina is a plant biochemist at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee. Over the last two years she has been involved in a number of vertical farming projects, focusing on the nutritional analysis of crops grown under experimental light and nutrient conditions. In the V-FAST project she works closely with the Intelligent Growth Solutions vertical farm on the optimized production of protein-rich high-value crops.

Tanveer, Head of Science at IGS, is a seasoned agri-biotech professional with over 18 years of experience in the agriculture industry. She has held leadership roles in top organizations like DuPont Pioneer, CTC Brazil, and Tropic Biosciences, spearheading strategic cross-functional projects.

Her expertise spans plant physiology, molecular biology, and biochemistry, focusing on developing transgenic traits in cotton, rice, maize, and sugarcane in various countries including India, US, Singapore, and Brazil. At IGS, she leads the science team, manages research trials, and develops plant growth recipes and novel compounds to boost crop nutrition and value.

Additionally, she oversees scientific projects in collaboration with the IGS Research Network and global academic institutions.

Frances is a Life Cycle Analyst with the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen. With a decade of experience working in the realm of carbon footprint assessment, LCA and food security, she has spent the last three years working in the area of vertical farm produce and Scottish crops. In the V-FAST project she is focused on developing representative, region specific models based on industry and project data.