Rate My Professor Matt Darr

Dr. Matt Darr is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University, serving as the John Deere Endowed Chair in Ag Innovation within the Engineering faculty. He is the founding Director of the Digital Ag Innovation Lab, where he manages a team of professionals and graduate students pioneering advancements in precision agriculture, data analytics, digital agriculture, machine learning, and aerial imagery systems. As Administrative Leader of the BioCentury Research Farm—the nation's first integrated facility for biomass production and processing—Darr oversees more than 50 sponsored research and industry service projects each year. The farm employs over 300 undergraduate students, many of whom have launched careers at leading companies including John Deere, Caterpillar, Inc., Corteva, Gross-Wen Technologies, and SpaceX. He also leads instruction for Iowa State University's courses in precision agriculture and agricultural machinery electronics.

Darr's academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2007, a Master of Science in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering from the University of Kentucky in 2004, and a Bachelor of Science in Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2002. His research specializations encompass equipment development for biomass densification and logistics, storage solutions for feedstock stability, and machinery automation for biomass collection and precise fertilizer placement. Recognized as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, he received the Iowa State University Foundation Outstanding Early Achievement in Extension or Professional Practice award in 2016. Darr has authored or co-authored over 100 patents, licensed technologies, and journal articles, with standout publications such as "Effect of torrefaction process parameters on biomass feedstock upgrading" (2010, cited 521 times), "Biomass storage: an update on industrial solutions for baled biomass feedstocks" (2012), "The effects of particle size, different corn stover components, and gas residence time on torrefaction of corn stover" (2012), and U.S. patents including "Yield estimation" (2019) and "Artificial intelligence for detecting and filling void areas of agricultural commodity containers" (2016). His work has profoundly impacted the commercialization of agricultural technologies and innovation in the field.