Professor Simon Pearson

Founding Director of the Lincoln Institute of Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) at the University of Lincoln. Recipient of a 2024 Queen’s Anniversary Prize, LIAT are an interdisciplinary research group conducting work that focuses on the application of robotics and AI in agriculture. With the Secretary of State, Simon was Co-Chair of the Defra Automation and Robotics Review for Horticulture. He is a Director of spin-out AI company FruitCast.AI. Prior to joining Lincoln spent 15 years in industry, including with Marks and Spencer plc and as CEO of a large farming company.