Neil Yorio

Currently the product manager for Lighting Science’s LED grow lamp and fixture program, Neil also spent part of his first 3 years with LSGC managing the custom LED lighting product development team. His career started at NASA, Kennedy Space Center where he served a number of roles supporting the bioregenerative life support systems research program. With NASA, 20 years of active research involving a number of aspects of photobiology, plant physiology, and controlled environment horticulture was applied to keeping humans alive for long-duration space missions. This biological approach required a plant-based life support system where agronomic and horticultural crops were used for food production, oxygen generation, CO2 removal, and water purification for the space-based crew. A major focus of this research was directed at light, specifically photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) since electric lighting technology is the major cost driver and energy source for the biological life support system. The work on spectral quality research immediately led to using LED solutions to replace inefficient and energy intensive sources for plant lighting (HPS, MH). Many of the peer-reviewed publications generated from the NASA research team are currently cited or at least mentioned in LED grow light marketing literature (often mis-quoted or mis-interpreted). Now that Neil’s participating with the LED fixture and lamp manufacturing business, his strong foundation with the plant growth research side of LED technology puts him in a unique position of both understanding the lighting requirements (spectral and intensity), as well as understanding the manufacturing and performance requirements for product development. He actively supports LSGC’s agency and distribution network with product specific applications, installation optimizations, and horticultural issues associated with the incorporation of LED technology in controlled environment agricultural facilities, including the legal medical marijuana sector. Neil is the author or co-author of 55 peer-reviewed publications, 6 technical memoranda, 1 book chapter, and 1 patent.