CS professor and CDA director John Reid panelist at Congressional briefing

7/8/2025 Bruce Adams

CS professor and CDA director John Reid joined a panel of experts on June 25 to report on “Catalyzing U.S. AgTech Innovation: Opportunities for the Federal Government” at a Congressional briefing supported by Representative Nikki Budzinski (IL-13).

Written by Bruce Adams

John F. Reid
John F. Reid

CS professor and Center for Digital Agriculture (CDA) director John Reid from The Grainger College of Engineering Siebel School of Computing and Data Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign joined a panel of experts on June 25, 2025 to report on “Catalyzing U.S. AgTech Innovation: Opportunities for the Federal Government” at a Congressional briefing supported by representative Nikki Budzinski (IL-13). The report was part of a study sponsored by the Triple Helix Institute

The panel consisted of Reid, Mark S. Brooks, Ronald Meeusen, and Nathan Pumplin, who contributed perspectives on AgTech, drawing on their experiences in venture capital, research, industry, and start-up leadership. Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman attended and shared remarks as a call to action to prioritize agricultural resilience. Representative Jim Baird (IN-4) delivered comments at the event, emphasizing his commitment to agricultural research and innovation. Representative Frank Lucas (OK-3) highlighted the importance of technological advancements in agriculture.

Discussions at the event underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration in advancing the U.S. AgTech sector.  

Six people stand in front of the Capitol dome, smiling.


Grainger Engineering Affiliations

John Reid is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor of computer science, electrical and computer engineering, and ag & bioengineering, and executive director in the Center for Digital Agriculture.


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This story was published July 8, 2025.