SFU computing science professor Martin Ester and his team have been selected as recipients of the 2020 Innovate BC Awards. A record total of $1,200,000 was awarded to four research projects that are driving innovation in B.C, two of which were awarded to professors in the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Ester and his team, which includes industry partner Terramera, received $300,000 to continue developing a new computational platform to predict the efficacy of antifungal formulations on significant crop diseases in Canada. Using Terramera's proprietary Actigate™ technology, Ester and his team will generate machine learning models to predict the best formulations to kill specific fungi on specific crops. 

"We are excited to be able to collaborate with local industry to advance the discovery of novel, organic pesticides, which will enable more environmentally friendly food prediction in Canada and in the world,” says Ester. “On the research side, the project raises new challenges in machine learning, image analysis, and robotics, which we will investigate with our students."

Read the media release from BCIC >>

Read the computing science news story about Ester’s research >>