Prof Paul PG Gauthier

Professor Gauthier is one of the world’s leading experts in vertical farming and protected cropping with many years of experience both in academia and the industry managing research teams. After more than 10 years in academia studying plant physiology from cells to ecosystems, he has been leading the R&D New Product and System Innovation Group at Bowery Farming for the past three years, delivering new products to the market including the first strawberry grown at scale indoors. His previous research at Princeton University focused on understanding the sustainability of vertical farms both economically and environmentally. In July 2022, Professor Gauthier took up a position as Professor of Protected Cropping at Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), where he is building a research team. He plans to focus on tropical and sub-tropical crops, an emerging industry with a high growth rate. The project will look at high-value pharmaceutical and nutraceutical crops that can be grown indoors.