DICKSON DESPOMMIER

Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier talks about "vertical farming" to feed city dwellers.

Dr. Dickson Despommier’s wide-ranging teaching and research encompass environmental health, medical ecology, microbiology and parasitic diseases. He is an infectious disease ecologist with a strong interest in West Nile Virus epidemics in the United States. He studies patterns of weather and tries to construct ecologically-based models that would best describe the conditions under which an epidemic might be triggered.

Working to address the increasing resource needs of the growing human population and the challenge of a sustainable agriculture model that meets those needs, Dr. Despommier and his students have developed the concept of vertical farming—a new model for urban agriculture. The continuing, extensive work of this project can be viewed at www.verticalfarm.com.

Dr. Despommier earned a Master’s degree from Columbia University and his Ph.D. from University of Notre Dame. Originally from New Orleans, he has always been interested in food and enjoys cooking for others.