University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
Central Coast AgTechUC COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

ACADEMIC PROFILE

Curriculum vitae.

Paramveer Singh · Agricultural Technology Area Farms Advisor

Current appointment

Agricultural Technology Area Farms Advisor
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
University of California Cooperative Extension, Monterey County
Salinas, California · October 2023–present

psbsing@ucanr.edu · +1 831 759-7365

Education

  • Ph.D., Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, 2019–2022. Advisor: Dr. Sangu Angadi.
  • M.S., Plant and Environmental Sciences, New Mexico State University, 2017–2019. Advisor: Dr. Sangu Angadi.
  • B.S., Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India, 2012–2016.

Professional experience

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources

Agricultural Technology Area Farms Advisor · October 2023–present

Applied research and extension on spray drones, automated lettuce thinning, biological products, agricultural technology needs, and decision support tools in specialty crop production. Extension activities include field days, workshops, articles, farm visits, and grower consultations.

Colorado State University

Research Project Manager, Irrigation Innovation Center · March–September 2023

Worked with the Testing Ag-Performing Solutions program. Responsibilities included field experiment design and management, sensor installation, data collection, and extension programming.

New Mexico State University

Graduate Research Assistant · 2017–2022

Doctoral research investigated circular buffer strips of native perennial grasses in irrigated agriculture. Master’s research examined observed and simulated winter canola responses to irrigation strategies. Collaborative projects addressed nitrogen use efficiency, guar irrigation, vegetable water productivity, and soil health.

Research grants

Funded

  • AI Enhanced Pre-breeding of Lettuce for Sustainable Production — Co-PI; project share: $504,368. USDA-NIFA-SCRI-011194.
  • Evaluating Spray Drone Performance: Bridging Research Gaps for Leafy Greens — PI; $14,350, California Leafy Greens Research Board, 2025.
  • Improving the Proportion of Green Water Use of Irrigated Agriculture by Circular Perennial Grass Strips — PI; $6,470, New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute, 2020.

Submitted proposals

  • Advancing Biological Strategies for Sustainable Pest Management of Soilborne Diseases in California Lettuce — Co-PI; proposed share: $42,017. California Department of Pesticide Regulation Sustainable Pest Management Grant Program.
  • Building the Western AgTech Roadmap: AI, Automation, and Sensor Solutions for Labor and Production Challenges — Co-PI; proposed share: $7,813. USDA-NIFA-SCRI planning grant.

Current research

  • AI-powered lettuce thinning: efficacy, labor savings, and yield.
  • Biological products and nitrogen use efficiency in lettuce.
  • Spray drone parameters for coverage and deposition in leafy greens.
  • CropManage AI-agent integration and usability.

Teaching and education

  • USDA–SBAR Graduate Student Fellow, 2019–2021: sustainability lesson plans and learning activities with Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
  • Teaching Assistant, HORT 100 — Introduction to Horticulture, 2020: weekly laboratory design and instruction; grading support.
  • Teaching Assistant, EPWS 311 — Introduction to Weed Science, 2018: greenhouse plant establishment and maintenance for instruction.

Selected extension activities

  • September 11, 2026: “Best practices for safe and effective drone spraying,” UC ANR Salinas Valley Blog.
  • September 9, 2026: Drone Applications in Agriculture workshop, UC ANR Kearney Research and Education Center; 70 attendees.
  • August 6, 2026: co-organizer, Annual AgTech Field Day, Hollister, with UC ANR Innovate and the California Leafy Greens Research Board; more than 200 attendees.
  • March 19, 2026: drone spray technology research and regulatory updates, Central Coast Pest Control Advisor Meeting.
  • February 25, 2026: “2025 Biological Product Evaluation Trial in Romaine Lettuce: What did we learn,” UC ANR Salinas Valley Blog.
  • February 24, 2026: drone spray pilot certification presentation, Annual Macy’s Field Day, Tulelake.
  • February 10, 2026: Central Coast Ag Tech Program research update, Annual Strawberry Field Day, Watsonville.
  • May 29, 2025: “California Agriculture Takes a Flight: A guide to drone spray pilot certification,” UC ANR Salinas Valley Blog.
  • December 3, 2024: co-organizer, Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Agriculture Workshop, UCCE Salinas.
  • June 27, 2024: co-organizer, Automated Technology Field Day, UCCE Salinas.
  • July 2023: co-organizer, CSU Testing Ag-Performing Solutions Field Day, Fort Collins.

Selected honors and awards

  • First prize, Soil and Water Conservation Society Student Poster Competition, 2021.
  • First prize, Western Society of Crop Science Student Oral Competition, 2021.
  • Western Crop Science Society travel grant, 2021.
  • NMSU Graduate Success Scholarship, 2020–2021.
  • International travel support from ASNMSU and GSC for iCROPM2020, Montpellier, France.
  • First prize, ET Measurement and Crop Modeling Poster Competition, ASA–CSSA–SSSA Annual Meeting, 2019.
  • “Best Concept” award for an extension activity, Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions retreat, 2019.
  • LE Sparks and Lucille Denton Funkhouser Tatreault Endowed Scholarship, 2018–2019 and 2020–2021.
  • John Harrington Memorial Endowed Scholarship, 2017–2018.
  • Third place, Western Society of Crop Science graduate student oral competition, 2018.
  • Marketing Board Merit Scholarship, Punjab Agricultural University, 2012–2016.

Professional service

  • Scientific Advisory Committee member, California Strawberry Commission: proposal review for scientific merit and industry relevance.
  • Judge, graduate student poster competition, California Plant and Soil Science Conference, 2024 and 2026.
  • Research article reviewer: Field Crops Research, Agronomy Journal, Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment, and Agricultural Water Management.

Professional memberships

American Society for Horticultural Science; American Society of Agronomy; Crop Science Society of America; Soil Science Society of America.

Peer-reviewed publications

  1. Singh, P., Angadi, S., Begna, S., Lascano, R. J. (2026). Perennial grasses as circular strips improve rainfall conservation and crop growth in center pivot agriculture. npj Sustainable Agriculture · 4, article 50. DOI
  2. Singh, P., Angadi, S., Begna, S. H., Stamm, M., Schutte, B., VanLeeuwen, D. (2025). Winter canola water use response under dormant and growth stage based irrigation strategies. Agricultural Water Management · 319, 109807. DOI
  3. Singh, J., Angadi, S., Begna, S., VanLeeuwen, D., Idowu, O. J., Singh, P., Trostle, C., Gowda, P., Brewer, C. (2024). Deficit irrigation strategy to sustain available water resources using guar. Industrial Crops and Products · 211, 118272. DOI
  4. Sapkota, S., Ghimire, R., Angadi, S. V., Singh, P., VanLeeuwen, D., Idowu, O. J. (2023). Soil health responses of circular grass buffer strips in center-pivot irrigated agriculture. Soil Science Society of America Journal · 87(2), 337–349. DOI
  5. Singh, M., Singh, P., Singh, S., Saini, R. K., Angadi, S. V. (2021). A global meta-analysis of yield and water productivity responses of vegetables to deficit irrigation. Scientific Reports · 11, 22095. DOI
  6. Paye, W. S., Begna, S., Ghimire, R., Angadi, S. V., Singh, P., Umesh, M. R., Darapuneni, M. (2021). Winter canola yield and nitrogen use efficiency in a semiarid irrigated condition. Agronomy Journal · 113(2), 2053–2067. DOI

Manuscripts in preparation

  • Singh, P., Angadi, S., Begna, S. (2026). Circular grass buffer strips mitigate drought-related physiological stress in center-pivot irrigated maize under semi-arid conditions.
  • Singh, P., Angadi, S., Begna, S. (2026). Reconfiguring center pivots with perennial grass rings to protect soil, water, and crop microclimate under groundwater decline.