Personal Statement
Toby is a Postdoctoral Research Associate specialising in controlled environment agriculture (CEA), hydroponic systems, and their integration into sustainable food systems.

He is currently working on the Royal Society APEX Award–funded project FOOD-INSIDE, in collaboration with local enterprise FarmUrban. This project focuses on deploying advanced sensing technologies to evaluate nutrient‑solution management strategies, with the goal of improving nutrient‑use efficiency and reducing waste within hydroponic production.

Toby’s current work builds on his PhD research at the University of Sheffield, where he explored the potential of low‑input, low‑tech hydroponic systems to supply leafy greens within local food networks. As part of this research, he designed and built nutrient film technique (NFT) systems housed in unheated, unlit polytunnels to assess seasonal crop performance across multiple sites. Economic modelling was then used to evaluate the commercial viability of these systems, using data derived directly from empirical trials.