Dr. David Hughes serves as the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Global Food Security at Penn State University, where he also holds professorships in entomology and biology. As the founder of PlantVillage, a Penn State initiative, Dr. Hughes leads efforts to enhance global food security by integrating artificial intelligence, mobile technology, and community networks. PlantVillage empowers smallholder farmers across Africa, Asia, and the Americas to combat pests and adapt to climate change by leveraging AI-driven tools and youth-led ground networks.

Building upon this mission, Dr. Hughes established PlantVillage+, a private enterprise partially owned by Penn State. This venture aims to alleviate poverty and address climate change by offering paid services to farmers, corporations, and governments, while continuing to support public AI research. Notably, PlantVillage+ allocates 30% of its profits to workers and farmers, 10% to its charitable arm—the Village Youth Fund—and 5% to assist governments in accessing advanced technologies and AI solutions.

Dr. Hughes also directs the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Current and Emerging Threats to Crops, focusing on developing scalable solutions for agricultural challenges. His pioneering research on parasite-host interactions, including the renowned "zombie ant" studies, has garnered international acclaim and media attention.

For those interested in exploring themes related to science, innovation, and socio-economic systems, Dr. Hughes recommends the following readings:

Letters to a Young Scientist by Edward O. Wilson: https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Young-Scientist-Edward-Wilson/dp/0871403773

The Big Con by Mariana Mazzucato:  https://marianamazzucato.com/books/the-big-con/

Vulture Capitalism by Grace Blakeley:  https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Vulture-Capitalism/Grace-Blakeley/9781982180867