Maaz Gardezi
Maaz Gardezi is the CEO and Co‑Founder of The Living Labs, LLC and an Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning at Virginia Tech. His work focuses on sustainable cities, urban development, and rural resilience. He has secured and led more than $4.5M in major National Science Foundation and USDA grants, demonstrating strong capacity for directing large interdisciplinary projects. At the Living Labs, Dr. Gardezi directs the team and oversees all project objectives, activities, and achievement of outcomes.
/ Education
2017: PhD Sociology and Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
2014: MS Environmental Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
2008: BSc Economics, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
/ Recognition
2023: Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Virginia Tech.
2023: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Fostering Responsible Innovation and Governance of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Precision Agriculture. Program Name: AFRI Foundational - Social Implications of Emerging Technologies (Award # 2023-67023-40216). Total Award: US$649,396
2020: National Science Foundation (NSF) Future of Work at the Human Technology Frontier- Research Large: Testing a Responsible Innovation Approach for Integrating Precision Agriculture (PA) Technologies with Future Farm Workers and Work (Award # 2026431/2202706). Total Award: US$3.5 million.