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College of Agriculture and Life Sciences 
Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Daniela Jones

DJ

Assistant Professor

Joint Appointment with Idaho National Laboratory

266 Weaver Labs

(919) 515-5843 Website
View CV 

Bio

Dr. Jones is an Assistant Professor in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at North Carolina State University and holds a joint-faculty appointment with Idaho National Laboratory. At NC State, Dr. Jones is also the Data Science Academy Director of Agricultural Analytics; Director of the Agricultural Data Science Certificate; Office of Research and Innovation Faculty Fellow; Graduate Faculty of the Operations Research Program; and a Faculty Fellow of the Center of Geospatial Analytics.

Dr. Jones develops large-scale, heterogeneous, and geo-temporal data-intensive models to better understand and enhance the sustainability of intensifying agricultural systems. She focuses particularly on analyzing the feasibility of harvesting, pre-processing, storing, and delivering agricultural waste for conversion to energy, aiming to reduce anthropogenic impacts on the environment. Additionally, she collaborates with industry to process data collected from various sources, including gene expression, management practices, ground-based sensors (such as soil moisture sensors), drone imagery, weather stations, and satellite sensors. This data spans the stages of planting, growing, harvesting, and packing, enabling her to identify factors that affect produce yield in terms of both quantity and quality.

Dr. Jones earned her PhD in Biological and Agricultural Engineering with a concentration in energy systems from Texas A&M University, where she was an Alfred P. Sloan Scholar and obtained a certificate in Business Management. She holds a Master’s and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering with an emphasis on operations research and a Minor in Mathematics from Mississippi State University. During her studies, she interned at Idaho National Laboratory and collaborated with multidisciplinary teams at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on biofuels and renewable energy projects. Prior to her current role, Dr. Jones was a postdoctoral associate at Duke University, where she conducted quantitative and qualitative research on student interventions and supported programming for educational, career development workshops, and community development events for underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students in the biosciences.

Education

Ph.D. Biological and Agricultural Engineering Texas A&M University 2017

M.S. Industrial Engineering Mississippi State University 2012

B.S. Industrial Engineering Mississippi State University 2009

Area(s) of Expertise

Building on Dr. Jones's operations research experience applied to the agricultural-based energy sector and her desire to promote environmentally friendly energy sources, she continues to develop mathematical models and solution algorithms to solve large-scale problems that arise in the areas of transportation, logistics, and renewable energy systems. She focuses on simulation and optimization of the entire supply chain (including, harvesting, pre-processing, storing, and delivering) for biomass as a feedstock for cost effective production of fuels, products, and power.

Publications

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