OPEN TO ML · SOFTWARE · DATA · RESEARCH ENGINEERING

>

I build computer-vision and machine-learning systems for high-resolution imagery and multimodal data. My work runs from UAV data collection and geospatial processing to distributed PyTorch training on A100 GPUs and documented tools that other researchers can run.

View research → Download resume Download CV
Channel
01 — About

I’m a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida with more than four years of experience in computer vision, machine learning, and geospatial processing for high-resolution imagery and multimodal sensor data.

I work across the full pipeline, from UAV data collection and sensor integration to image processing, model development, and field-based evaluation. My projects combine RGB, multispectral, thermal, hyperspectral, and elevation data, with individual flight collections often exceeding 30 GB.

My modeling work includes SAM, Depth Anything, YOLO, CNNs, LSTMs, TCNs, and Transformers. I train high-resolution models using CUDA and distributed PyTorch on NVIDIA A100 GPUs and maintain reproducible SLURM launch files, checkpoints, outputs, and experiment logs.

I also build tools for other researchers. These include a modular UAV phenotyping pipeline that transforms raw drone imagery into standardized plant- or plot-level traits, PlantSegFlow for zero-shot plant-video segmentation and tracking, and PhenomeInsight, a deployed web-GIS platform for processing and visualizing UAV data through UF HiPerGator.

0
Peer‑reviewed / conference works
4+
YEARS BUILDING ML ON IMAGERY
TB‑scale
IMAGERY PROCESSED
02 — Education
2023 — Present
Ph.D. Student, Agricultural & Biological Engineering
University of Florida — focus: machine learning, computer vision, remote sensing & multimodal systems
Gainesville, FL
2021 — 2022
M.S., Industrial & Systems Management
University of Southern California — focus: machine learning, optimization, statistics, data analytics & decision science
Los Angeles, CA
2016 — 2020
B.S., Controlled Environment Agriculture
Northwest A&F University — focus: automation, sensing, environmental control & process optimization
Yangling, China

+ DSSAT crop-modeling workshop — process-based simulation to complement the data-driven side.

03 — Toolbox

Machine Learning

PyTorchCUDADDPMixed precision TensorFlowscikit-learn CNNsTransformersTCNs XGBoostMultimodal fusionLSTM · TCNXAI

Computer Vision

SAM · foundation modelsDepth Anything · foundation modelsYOLOOpenCV SegmentationObject detection PhotogrammetryPoint clouds

Sensors & UAV Platforms

RGBMultispectralThermal HyperspectralMultirotor UAV systems FAA-certificated Remote Pilot · Part 107Sensor & payload integrationMission planning & flight ops

Data & Geospatial

PythonRpandas NumPyMetashapeQGIS / PyQGIS GDALrasterioGeoPandas GeoTIFFShapefilesCRS / reprojectionSQL

Systems & Workflows

GitLinuxDocker NVIDIA A100HPC / SLURMsbatch Batch processingCommand-line tools Checkpoints & loggingBashC++
04 — Published work
2026
A Multi-Sensor UAV Platform: Design, Testing, and Application for High-Throughput Plant Phenotyping
Ji, L., Wang, X., Hassan, H., Deng, Z. — Drones 10(5) 372
Journal
2026
A Field-based Plant Video Segmentation Pipeline (FPVSP) for Off-line Plant Tracking through Zero-shot Segmentation and Motion Features
Shen, K., Zhou, X., Daggubati, S., Wang, X., Ji, L., Choi, D., Ilodibe, U. D. — CVPR Workshops
Conference
2025
Exploring the Efficacy of Phenomic and Genomic Selection for Yield and Fruit Quality Traits in Strawberry
Sleper, J., Zheng, C., Ji, L., … Whitaker, V. — The Plant Genome
Journal
2025
AI-Driven Multimodal Framework for Predicting Strawberry Performance and Insights
Ji, L., Wang, X., Dissanayake, K., … Choi, D. — ASABE Annual Intl. Meeting
Conference
2025
Deep Learning for Strawberry Runner Detection Integrating Ground and Aerial Imaging
Zhou, X., Wang, X., Ji, L., … Whitaker, V. — Smart Agricultural Technology
Journal
2025
Selected UAV Options for Agricultural Imaging and Mapping Applications under Florida’s UAS Regulations (AE613)
Ji, L., Wang, X., Elwakil, W. — UF/IFAS EDIS
Extension
2024
AI/ML-Assisted Near-Infrared / Optical Biosensing for Plant Phenotyping
Wang, X., Zhou, X., Ji, L., Shen, K. — Book chapter
Chapter
2024
Predicting Caladium Tuber Weight from Canopy Traits Through High-Throughput Aerial Imagery
Ji, L., Wang, X., Cordova, G., Deng, Z. — ASABE
Conference
05 — Selected work
/01

Scalable Multimodal Benchmarking for Crop Nutrient Prediction

Engineered a reproducible benchmarking framework that integrates computer vision, tabular learning, and environmental time-series modeling. The system standardizes data preparation, grouped cross-validation, fold-specific preprocessing, and out-of-fold evaluation across ML and deep-learning architectures, enabling fair comparison without data leakage.

The benchmark combines UAV imagery, elevation data, field measurements, management records, and daily fertilizer and weather sequences. Across two growing seasons, learned visual representations consistently outperformed handcrafted spectral and structural features. The modular design supports extension to other crops, sensors, imaging modalities, and spatial resolutions.

Architectures PLSR · RF · CNN · LSTM · TCN · Transformer Training CUDA · mixed precision · multi-GPU DDP Compute NVIDIA A100 · UF HiPerGator Interpretability SHAP · Integrated Gradients · Grad-CAM
Evaluation grouped CV · fold-specific preprocessing · OOF prediction Reproducibility SLURM jobs · checkpoints · logs · fold outputs Result deep visual features outperformed handcrafted traits Status manuscript in preparation
/02

Multi-Sensor UAV Platform

Designed, fabricated, and field-validated a modular UAV platform for synchronized RGB, multispectral, and thermal data collection. The system combined custom SolidWorks components and 3D-printed mounts with sensor integration, onboard power, wiring, data transfer, and storage. The published workflow converts the collected data into canopy height, coverage, and temperature traits validated against field measurements.

Integration RGB·MS·IR Mechanical design SolidWorks · 3D printing System integration sensors · power · wiring · storage Data workflow transfer · synchronization · processing
/03

PlantSegFlow: Zero-Shot Video Segmentation

Co-authored a CVPR Workshops 2026 paper on a zero-shot vision pipeline that converts UAV and ground field videos into structured plant-level data. The system combines Video Depth Anything, SAM3, adaptive depth filtering, and motion-based identity assignment to segment plants, maintain row-aware ordering, track identities across frames, and generate representative images and trait-ready outputs for downstream breeding analysis.

Publication CVPRW 2026 Vision Video Depth Anything · SAM3 Pipeline segmentation · counting · tracking Output row-aware plant IDs · trait-ready data
/04

Automated UAV Phenotyping Pipeline

Developed and maintain a modular pipeline that transforms raw drone imagery into analysis-ready phenotyping datasets. The workflow supports repeated collections and both plot- and plant-level studies, automating photogrammetry, orthomosaic and DEM generation, vegetation segmentation, spatial ID alignment, trait extraction, and standardized export for downstream breeding and research analyses.

Geospatial Metashape · PyQGIS · rasterioOutput analysis-ready trait tablesUsed by multiple teams
/05

Cross-Platform Strawberry Runner Detection

Contributed to a deep-learning system for detecting strawberry runners in ground and UAV imagery. The model was trained and evaluated on a diverse, multi-platform dataset to improve robustness across imaging perspectives and field conditions.

Object detectionPyTorchDataset designData ground · aerial imageryFocus cross-platform robustness
/06

PhenomeInsight Web-GIS

Contributed processing and visualization features to PhenomeInsight, a deployed UF web-GIS platform that connects user-uploaded UAV data with HiPerGator. The application manages processing jobs and returns interactive orthomosaic, elevation, vegetation-index, hotspot analysis, and job-status notifications to users.

Web-GISHiPerGatorDeployed at UF PubApps
06 — Beyond the work
Leadership & professional service
Vice Chair, Student Activity Committee (SAC)
2026
AOC-ABFE — Association of Overseas Chinese Agricultural, Biological & Food Engineers (AOCABFE). Secretary the prior year (2025).
Session Moderator — Machinery Systems Poster Session, ASABE AIM
2026
Moderated the Machinery Systems Poster Session and recruited judges and organized evaluation, working directly with professionals from industry and academia.
Honors & awards
ASABE Student Poster Presentation Competition
2024
Winner as an ITSC Community finalist at ASABE AIM.”
Master's Scholar Award
2021
University of Southern California.
07 — Off the clock

LEGO minifigures

A growing shelf of little characters.

got bricks?

Photography

Behind the lens.

there's a little door
in a hurry? take the elevator — the shelf ↗  ·  the darkroom ↗
08 — Let's talk
Email GitHub LinkedIn Google Scholar