Triple Helix Institute for Agriculture, Climate, and Society — a nonprofit that aims to build cross-sector engagement and public understanding around ag tech — announced Dr. Nick Dokoozlian as the recipient of its inaugural Triple Helix AgTech Leadership Prize.
Extreme weather, soil degradation, pests and diseases and resource scarcity increasingly jeopardize crops. According to the announcement by Triple Helix, emerging technologies offer pathways to improve agricultural productivity and resilience, but realizing their technical potential requires vision, tenacity and collaboration across sectors. The Triple Helix AgTech Leadership Prize recognizes individuals who have worked across disciplinary and sectoral silos to develop and deploy improved ag tech.
“Dr. Dokoozlian’s accomplishments reflect dedication to long-term collaboration among researchers, growers, industry leaders, and public institutions. By honoring trailblazers like Dr. Dokoozlian, the Triple Helix AgTech Leadership Prize celebrates individuals who build partnerships and infrastructure that drive agricultural innovation from scientific discovery to transformative impact,” said Dr. Sarah Garland, Founder and Executive Director of Triple Helix.
After 15 years as a researcher in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis, Dokoozlian joined Gallo Winery in 2004. Throughout his career, his work has centered on improving the productivity, resilience and quality of viticulture. His achievements include:
● Playing a major role in the formation of the National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA) in 2003 and serving as the organization’s Research Chair since 2008.
● Supporting permanent federal funding for the USDA-ARS Grape Genetics Research Unit in Geneva, NY and Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Research Unit in Davis, CA. These centers conduct foundational science to address critical agricultural challenges like disease and drought.
● Establishing the landmark GRAPEX project (Grape Remote Sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment), a decade-long collaboration involving Gallo, USDA-ARS, Utah State University, NASA and others. This initiative resulted in water use reductions in vineyards and has since expanded to almonds, olives and other crops.
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“I am humbled by this recognition from Triple Helix.The AgTech Leadership Prize is especially meaningful because it recognizes the importance of cross-sector engagement and stakeholder alignment for ensuring agricultural resilience. Triple Helix provides an innovative platform and vision for connecting stakeholders to advance solutions for agriculture’s most pressing challenges, a role critical for the future of food production,” Dokoozlian said.
The Triple Helix AgTech Leadership Prize will be presented to Dr. Dokoozlian at an event held during Climate Week NYC in September.