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Dickson Despommier

Professor of Public Health and Microbiology
Columbia University

Name

Dickson Despommier
Job Title

Professor of Public Health and Microbiology
Organisation

Columbia University

Field

Academic
Speciality

Climate Change, Progress Towards Sustainability

Biography

Biography

I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and grew up as a child in California area before moving to the New York area, where I now live and work. I have two sons and three grandchildren. I was trained as a microbiologist and I have always been interested in the environment. At present, I am engaged in a project whose mission is to produce significant amounts of food crops in tall buildings situated in densely populated urban centers (Vertical Farming; see http://www.verticalfarm.com). This initiative has grown in acceptance over the last few years to the point of stimulating planners and developers around the world to incorporate them into their vision for the future city. It is highly likely that some form of the vertical farm will soon become part of the skyline of the built environment.