A profile of MSU Assistant Professor and AAP GEF Awardee, Dr. Daniel Uyeh    Science and technology are central to tackling global challenges like climate change and food insecurity. In June 2025, the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) launched the Faculty Global Engagement Fund (GEF) to help faculty maintain momentum in their research endeavors and international collaborations by providing travel support to engage with African partner institutions and/or to present their research at conferences or other public forums. Among the inaugural GEF cohort is MSU faculty member Dr. Daniel Uyeh, a Nigerian scientist and engineer whose work integrates advanced sensors, automated weather stations, and AI-enabled decision-support systems to turn real-time climate data into actionable guidance for farmers and policymakers—strengthening food security and resilience across the continent.  Born and raised in Nigeria, Dr. Uyeh spent most of his childhood in rural neighborhoods. There he witnessed firsthand how the practice of farming and knowledge of agriculture shaped community livelihoods. He also witnessed the work of his father, a vocational teacher who taught agriculture to the community to better improve their farming capabilities. Inspired by his father’s role as a teacher and his experience in farming communities, Uyeh focused his academic career on agriculture. From his internships in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals to his Bachelors, Masters, and PhD degrees, he has been studying the field of agriculture for over a decade. Currently, he is working as both assistant professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering as well as a principal investigator in the Climate-Smart Decision Support Systems Group of MSU. He is a Nigerian scientist and engineer who, in his own words works on “multidisciplinary research projects towards improving efficiency and minimizing production costs, thus ensuring resilient and sustainable agriculture”.  His resume is impressively extensive and his most recent project, which he highlighted during the application for GEF support, continues to show his dedication and experience in the field of agricultural research.   This project focuses on the development and deployment of automated weather stations and other advanced sensory technologies, calibrated to an integrated decision support system (DSS). The DSS will translate real time climate data into actional insights for farmers and policy makers, allowing timely informed decisions on critical aspects of farming and agriculture. By stabilizing food supplies in the face of erratic weather, this work has the potential to deliver immediate, measurable impact for communities across Sub-Saharan Africa.  Uyeh and his team have already developed and piloted an integrated platform that provides real-time, weather and advisory services for farmers, allowing them to better prepare for the challenges facing their farms and livestock. In the future he intends to expand the deployment of automated weather sensory technology as well as the DSS system across the entirety of Africa, doing so through further partnerships with African government agencies, many of whom are already investing in adaptation and agricultural digitization. In Uyeh’s words: “The end goal of my research is to create AI-enabled, climate-smart tools that make agriculture more resilient, sustainable, and profitable. My work aims to provide farmers, especially smallholders, women, and youth, with reliable, hyperlocal decision-support systems that help them adapt to climate change, reduce input costs, and improve yields. At the same time, I aim to support breeders and policymakers with enhanced data to inform varietal development, resource utilization, and climate adaptation strategies. Ultimately, my vision is to contribute to transforming agriculture from a system vulnerable to erratic weather and labor shortages into one that is data-driven, low-emission, and sustainable, securing food systems and livelihoods for millions worldwide.”  In our interview for this article, Uyeh was asked what he would say to future researchers inspired by his example—just as he was by his father. His advice: “Research is about exploring the unknown, asking questions others may overlook, and learning from every setback. Stay curious, stay resilient, and view failures not as dead ends but as stepping stones toward discovery and impact.”