Engineering Controlled Environments: From Urban Farms to the Edge of Space

Hello from across the pond! I’m Jonny — a design engineer, proud to be joining UKUAT as Ambassador for Engineering Innovation. My journey’s taken me from building the world’s first OLED-powered vertical farm to designing sustainable systems for everything from airports to outer space.

Now, I’m excited to support UKUAT by connecting UK growers and tech leaders with cutting-edge innovation from across the globe. Whether it’s pioneering food systems on Earth or testing possibilities for space, I’m passionate about engineering solutions that are bold, sustainable, and built to inspire.

The thrill of joining UKUAT, as an Ambassador for Engineering Innovation, is in the ability to contribute to the ongoing conversation around vertical farming and controlled environment agriculture (CEA). My work over the past decade has spanned energy-efficient grow systems, tech integration in urban farms, and high-reliability engineering — with applications ranging from hospitality to aerospace. Now based in Texas and working at SpaceX, I’ll be supporting UKUAT by creating new links between UK members and key innovators in US academia and industry.

Engineering Roots in AgriTech Innovation

I began my career building indoor agriculture systems after developing the World’s first OLED-based vertical farming unit, which optimised spectral efficiency and energy use whilst at Brunel University. That project was featured in the UN Water Yearbook and covered in media outlets like HortiDaily, Renewable Energy Magazine, and Electrek.

As Chief Product Officer at HydroGarden, I led commercial deployments of modular farming systems — including a showcase project with British Airways at Heathrow Airport. These solutions helped bring fresh, hyper-local produce into highly trafficked spaces, reducing food miles and boosting public visibility for CEA tech.

I also worked at cooling tech leader Iceotope, developing liquid thermal systems for high-performance electronics. The underlying engineering challenges — maintaining environmental stability in sealed, sensitive systems — closely mirror those found in cutting-edge vertical farms, particularly in mission-critical or remote settings.

Controlled Environments in the Next Frontier

I’m currently a Starlink Engineer at SpaceX, working on advanced hardware systems that operate under extreme environmental conditions. While my focus today is on infrastructure that supports global connectivity, the engineering principles — system redundancy, environmental control, energy optimisation — carry clear relevance for the future of off-world agriculture.

There’s growing momentum around using vertical farming for space-based food systems, with some incredible projects underway:

NASA Veggie – A pioneering plant growth chamber aboard the ISS, enabling astronauts to grow leafy greens in microgravity.
EDEN ISS – An Antarctic greenhouse simulating Martian growing conditions, showing how CEA can function in complete isolation.
Redwire Greenhouse – A commercial initiative to test crop production in low-Earth orbit, supporting deep-space missions.
Vertical Future – UK based Vertical Future is developing a farm for the World’s first commercial space station.

These efforts reflect a clear crossover: the skills, tools, and insights developed through CEA on Earth will play a critical role in building sustainable life support systems in space.

A Connected Future

Whether we’re growing salad in a lounge or spinach in low Earth orbit, CEA represents a fusion of biological science and engineering creativity. As someone who’s worked across product design, systems integration, and tech R&D, I’m passionate about how vertical farming can push boundaries — both in the UK and globally.

As UKUAT continues to grow its impact, I’m looking forward to contributing engineering insight, connecting with fellow innovators, and championing sustainable technologies for the next generation.

By Jonny Reader

UKUAT Ambassador for Engineering Innovation

Jonny Reader is a UKUAT Ambassador for Engineering Innovation and a Mechanical Engineer at SpaceX (Starlink). He was a recipient of the KTP Future Leader Award from Innovate UK, and has spoken at institutions including Cornell University, GLASE, and the World Technology Summit.