Team

Dr. Joe Mari Maja – Director

Bringing decades of research experience, Dr. Maja served as the inaugural director of CAAI4SA. A graduate in Computer Engineering from the University of San Carlos in Cebu, Philippines, he earned his PhD in 2003 from Tohoku University in Japan before returning to his alma mater as a full professor and Department Chairman of Computer Engineering. In 2007, he moved to the United States to work as a research scientist at the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC). He later joined Clemson University’s Edisto Research and Education Center (EREC) in 2014 as a research faculty member, where he founded the Sensor and Automation Laboratory. His research focuses on robotics, remote sensing, hyperspectral imaging, and artificial intelligence, backed by hundreds of publications and thousands of citations. In January 2024, he brought his extensive expertise to SC State University’s 1890 Research and Extension to further elevate its research programs.

Van Patiluna – Research Assistant

Originally from Cebu, Philippines, he worked under Dr. Joe Mari Maja at Clemson University’s Edisto Research and Education Center, contributing to multiple agricultural automation research projects. Proficient in electronics, PCB design, programming, systems design, and CAD, he has been integral to the development of both hardware and software systems. Currently, he leads research projects focusing on a robotic cotton harvester and sprayer, plant inventory using RFID, and soil moisture monitoring using hyperspectral imaging.

Christina Chiu – Training Coordinator

Her interest in agricultural outreach began at Clemson University, where she earned a B.S. in Plant and Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Agricultural Biotechnology and a minor in Genetics. Through research, Extension activities, and community involvement, she saw firsthand the importance of making scientific advancements accessible and useful to farmers and local communities. During her time at Clemson, she worked in Dr. Dan Anco’s peanut pathology lab and Dr. Joe Maja’s sensor and robotics lab, contributing to projects involving crop diseases, water quality monitoring, agricultural sensors, and robotic harvesting technologies.

Tuhina Sambhus – Student Intern

She is a junior majoring in Nuclear Engineering who shares CAAI4SA’s passion for applying artificial intelligence to precision agriculture. She recently won the Best Presenter Award at the Association of Research Directors (ARD) Research Conference in New Orleans, LA, on April 2, 2026, for her research titled: “SmartWeedClassifier: Development and Deployment of a Mobile Deep Learning Model for Weed Species and Herbicide Treatment Classification.”